Military cooperation among Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan is becoming more practical and visible, but the countries have not formed a unified four-country defense alliance, according to the supplied evidence.
Azerbaijan and Türkiye have the closest military relationship, formalized by the 2021 Shusha Declaration, which provides for closer defense cooperation, joint training, exercises, personnel exchanges and greater interoperability. Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan signed a Treaty on Allied Relations in August 2024, creating another formal bilateral framework.
Multilateral exercises have broadened contacts. Azerbaijan participated in Kazakhstan’s July 2024 Birlestik exercise alongside Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. A separate Power of Unity–2026 exercise involving Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan opened on 22 September in Azerbaijan and included command-and-staff training, naval activity and scenarios involving coastal infrastructure, mine clearance and a seized vessel.
These activities can improve coordination and familiarity between participating forces, but they do not establish a joint command, common defense obligations or a standing regional force. The emerging pattern remains a flexible network of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, with participation varying by exercise.
