Turkey’s defense industry chief said on Friday that his sector was ready to help Azerbaijan, which has seen border clashes with Armenia in which 16 people have been killed, according to Reuters. Turkey has strong historical and cultural ties with Azerbaijan as well as joint energy projects. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday said it would not hesitate to “stand against any attack” on Azerbaijan and that Armenia was “out of its depth” in the conflict. Demir, who met with Azerbaijan’s deputy defense minister and air force commander Ramiz Tahirov in Ankara, said Turkey would help to modernize Azerbaijan’s army. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Armenia had started the border clashes and that it would be “drowned under the plot that they initiated.”