ANKARA, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Turkey sent soldiers to Azerbaijan to join Russian forces at an observation post in Nagorno-Karabakh after Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a cease-fire deal to end clashes, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday.

"Our staff went to Azerbaijan, and are ready there. One general and 35 of our officers will take office immediately after the construction of the joint center is completed and becomes operational," Akar told commanders of the Turkish army via teleconference.

In November, the Turkish parliament approved a motion for the deployment of its troops at the joint center for one year as part of an accord between Ankara and Moscow to monitor the implementation of the truce.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev announced earlier that the Joint Turkish-Russian Center will be in Aghdam, a district handed over to the Azerbaijani military on Nov. 20 as a condition of the truce.