Turkish-Russian joint center to be established in Agdam

A Turkish-Russian joint center to monitor and inspect the ongoing ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be established in Agdam province of Azerbaijan, which was liberated by the former's army after a six-week-long war between the two rivals, the Turkish media reported.

The statement of the location of the joint center was first voiced by Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev last week. At a meeting with French, American and Russian co-chairs of the Minsk Group, Aliyev informed that the center is being built in Agdam for the use of Turkish and Russian observers.

The possibility of choosing Agdam as the location of the joint center is growing, and the Turkish Defense Ministry has said works for the establishment of the center were going on but did not specify where exactly the center would be built, daily Hürriyet reported quoting military experts.

Turkey and Russia negotiated about the working principles of the joint center after Armenia had accepted the defeat and returned the lands it had been occupying since the early 1990s in return for a ceasefire.

The center will monitor and report the ceasefire violations through the use of drones and other equipment and will take measures for the continuation of the cessation of military operations.

Turkey is expected to deploy 30 to 50 military observers at the joint center. Turkish Parliament has already provided necessary authorization to the government for dispatching troops to Azerbaijan.

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