Special forces units of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey launched joint “Caucasian Eagle 2017” exercises on June 5. The drills are hosted by Georgia and they will last till June 14.

The three countries’ forces will practice coordination, as well as conducting special operations. Ground and air components will both participate in the exercise.

This is the third trilateral special forces drill by Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The latter hosted the previous two exercises.

The special forces exercises fall within the broader framework of developing military cooperation between the three nations. On May 23, Defense Ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey held the fifth trilateral defense ministerial summit in Batumi and discussed, among other issues, joint military exercises and security measures for regional economic projects.

Besides the special forces drills launched on June 5, joint computer-assisted staff-level exercises to be held in September 2017 were also announced during the May 23 trilateral ministerial.