Aliyev and Erdogan deliver statements to media in Shusha

Latest update · 18:50First report ↓

On November 8, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made statements to the media in Shusha.

“Operative Information Center-OMM” reports that the President of Azerbaijan spoke first.

— Dear Mr. President, my dear brother, welcome to Azerbaijan and Garabagh.

Your presence with us on Victory Day brings joy to the entire Azerbaijani people. I would like to express my special gratitude to you for this.

Exactly six years ago, the city of Shusha was liberated from Armenian occupation, and one day later Armenia officially surrendered. Thus, the 30-year occupation came to an end.

The city of Shusha had been under captivity for 28 years, but it did not lose its national spirit. The liberation of Shusha carried great symbolic significance and was also one of the key stages of the Second Garabagh War.

My dear brother, you and the brotherly Turkish people stood by us throughout the 44 days. Your statement in the first hours of the war and your telephone conversation with me showed the whole world that brotherly Türkiye stood with Azerbaijan. Your statement gave us additional strength and morale. Your historic words — “Azerbaijan is not alone; Türkiye stands by it” — will never be forgotten. The Azerbaijani people know this well and are grateful to you personally and to the brotherly Turkish people. The political and moral support you showed further strengthened our resolve.

Over the course of 44 days, the Azerbaijani Army liberated more than 300 cities and villages on the battlefield. Three thousand people were martyred in these battles. May God rest the souls of all our martyrs. Their blood was not shed in vain; their sacrifice was avenged on the battlefield, and historical justice was restored.

During the occupation, at various times, there were naturally hopes that this issue, this conflict, could be resolved peacefully. However, Armenia’s unconstructive position did not allow that.

The situation is entirely different today. The normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan is now under way, and I hope it will produce concrete results. As you know, Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed a peace agreement more than a year ago, but it has not yet been signed. There are certain reasons for this. I believe the public in Türkiye and Azerbaijan knows them well.

The 44-day Patriotic War once again demonstrated Türkiye-Azerbaijan unity. Seven months later, the historic Shusha Declaration was signed here in Shusha, officially elevating our relations to the level of an alliance. In fact, we had always been allies. The peoples of Türkiye and Azerbaijan are brotherly peoples, and I have said many times that no peoples or states in the world are as closely connected as ours. This is our great wealth. The Shusha Declaration simply placed these historic and cultural ties within an official framework. We are united by our shared history, ethnic roots, language, literature and spiritual values. This is a great asset, and today interstate relations are developing on the basis of this asset and this strong foundation.

Our unity and brotherhood are unshakable. Those who seek to undermine them will never achieve their aims; their hopes will remain unfulfilled. We — the two peoples, and above all, the two leaders — are safeguarding this asset and will not allow anyone to come between us or to cast a shadow over our unity, brotherhood and solidarity for personal interests.

Today, under the leadership of my dear brother, respected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish state has become a great power, one with global influence. It has a say not only in regional developments but also in matters of global importance. Türkiye’s strong economy, industrial potential and political weight are realities that make us very happy and strengthen us. Azerbaijan, too, has made great progress in recent years and is confidently moving forward. We are stronger together. Across a vast geographic area, Türkiye-Azerbaijan unity is an important factor. It is a factor for stability, cooperation and security.

I would like to say once again that your presence here in Garabagh on Victory Day, dear brother and respected President, despite your busy schedule, once again demonstrates our unity to the whole world. I am certain this unity will be eternal. I know no one doubts this, either in Türkiye or Azerbaijan. We were together in the past, together during the war, together today and will remain together in the future. I believe this is the main outcome of this historic visit.

Of course, we could discuss many issues concerning our bilateral relations. All these matters are well known: political and economic ties, investment, energy, transport corridors and the Zangezur corridor. All of them were discussed extensively today. But I believe the visit’s main outcome is precisely what I have said: “Türkiye-Azerbaijan unity is eternal and unshakable.”

My dear brother, thank you once again for coming. Thank you.

x x x

The President of Türkiye then made a statement.

— Mr. President, my dear brother.

Members of the respected delegations.

Members of the respected media.

I greet you with the warmest feelings and affection, personally and on behalf of my country and nation.

I am pleased to be with you on the sixth anniversary of the Garabagh Victory. I am especially glad to be in beautiful Shusha, a city of history, nature and culture that the poet described as “our Shusha, a most cherished word on our lips, a hearth and ember that warms our hearts, blooming with the most fragrant flowers.”

At the outset, I respectfully remember all our martyrs who gave their lives for the liberation of Garabagh. We express our gratitude to our veterans and pray to God to grant them health, prosperity and long lives.

Six years ago, under the determined leadership of my brother Ilham, the united Azerbaijani people liberated Garabagh from occupation with great heroism. This glorious Victory remains the finest example of Azerbaijan’s just struggle and a source of pride for the entire Turkic world.

As you know, relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan have passed through various tests of history to reach their present high level. This heartfelt unity, which we describe with the slogan “One nation, two states,” draws strength from our shared past and is an unquenchable torch lighting the way to our future. Our brotherhood goes far beyond a shared language, history and culture. It is why we regard Baku’s joy as Ankara’s joy and Shusha’s pride as the pride of our entire nation.

The Declaration we signed in Shusha on June 15, 2021, strengthened this brotherhood through allied relations. Those seeking to weaken it will never achieve their aims, today or tomorrow, just as they failed yesterday. With God’s help, our unity will always remain unshakable.

We are working with all our might to establish this mission as a guiding principle across the Turkic world as well. The high level reached today by our Organization of Turkic States is the clearest result of our shared will and efforts. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Azerbaijan for its efforts to promote unity and solidarity in the Turkic world during its chairmanship. God willing, during our chairmanship, we will also work to make the organization stronger and more institutionalized.

Members of the media, Azerbaijan’s liberation of its lands from occupation through the 44-day Patriotic War opened the door to a new era in the South Caucasus. Our task now is to crown the Victory achieved on the battlefield with lasting peace and stability. Just as we stood by Azerbaijan’s just struggle, we also support its sincere efforts to establish lasting peace in our region. We are following with great appreciation Azerbaijan’s work to rebuild Garabagh and restore the region to its former beauty.

Every hearth relit, every building rising and every historic heritage site restored in Garabagh demonstrates the Azerbaijani people’s confidence in the future. God willing, we will continue to share our experience and contribute to reconstruction and restoration efforts. Most recently, we had the honor of establishing the “Azerbaijan-Türkiye International Forest Training Center” and the “Smart Nursery” facility in Jabrayil. Established with contributions from our Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the facility is a new example of Türkiye-Azerbaijan cooperation. Construction has also begun on our 40-room school in Aghdam, with an area of 14,500 square meters. God willing, my brother Ilham and I will inaugurate it next year.

My dear brothers, as I conclude my remarks, I would like to note that we passed through seven separate tunnels on our way here today. These seven tunnels demonstrate how successfully infrastructure is being built in the region. As we came to Shusha, we were happy to see how far we have come. I believe that on our next visit, Shusha will have changed even more, and Fuzuli will be different as well. This is because there is a leader and a team who believe in this work and devote themselves to it. This leader and team are continuing their path with the same faith and determination.

Once again, I remember with mercy our dear martyrs, who inscribed the Garabagh Victory in our history with their lives and blood. I express my gratitude to our heroic veterans and sincerely congratulate my Azerbaijani brothers and sisters on this glorious Victory. As Türkiye and the Turkish nation, we will continue to stand by you, sharing your grief as our own and your joy as our own. Thank you.

At the end of my remarks, I would like to recite the famous lines of the late poet Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh:

May our Lord grant that our red flag with the crescent and star and Azerbaijan’s glorious flag wave side by side in the skies forever. I extend my heartfelt congratulations on your November 9 State Flag Day and send greetings and affection from here to the brotherly Azerbaijani people.

I once again thank my brother Ilham for his warm hospitality.