Erdogan and Aliyev celebrated the victory together! 'Your sorrow is our sorrow, your joy is our joy'

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev celebrated the 6th anniversary of the Karabakh Victory together.

President Erdoğan, who went to Karabakh yesterday upon the invitation of Azerbaijani President Aliyev to attend the November 8 Victory Day celebrations, was accompanied by his wife Emine Erdoğan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, MİT President İbrahim Kalın, Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, Chief Foreign Policy and Security Advisor to the President Akif Çağatay Kılıç, He was accompanied by Çağrı Erhan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Security and Foreign Policies Board, AK Party Deputy Chairman and Head of Relations with Turkish States Kürşad Zorlu, and President of the Organization of Turkish States (TDT) Aksakals Council Binali Yıldırım.

friendly welcome

The Erdogan couple were welcomed at Fuzuli International Airport by Azerbaijani President Aliyev and his wife Mihriban Aliyeva. During the welcome, Erdoğan and Aliyev presented flowers to each other's wives. Aliyev's daughter Leyla Aliyeva was also present at the ceremony. While the welcome witnessed warm and friendly images, Erdoğan and Aliyev hugged and greeted each other, then walked arm in arm. It was noteworthy that First Lady Erdoğan and Mihriban Aliyeva held hands while walking.

An official welcome ceremony was also held for President Erdoğan in Shusha Governorate. After the delegation was introduced, the two leaders had a one-on-one meeting. Erdoğan and Aliyev held a joint press conference after the meeting and emphasized the brotherhood of the two countries. The speeches of the two leaders received a standing ovation from the delegations in the hall.

Erdoğan briefly said the following in his speech:

SOURCE OF PRAISE: 6 years ago, the Azerbaijani people, united under the astute leadership of my brother Ilham, liberated Karabakh again with great heroism. This glorious victory continues to be the most beautiful manifestation of Azerbaijan's just cause and a source of pride for the entire Turkish geography.

message of brotherhood

THEY WILL NOT ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS: Relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan have passed through various tests of history and reached their current advanced level. This unity of heart, which we describe with the motto 'One nation, two states', is an inextinguishable torch that sheds light on our future with the strength it draws from our common past. Our brotherhood goes beyond a common language, history and culture. This is why we know the joy of Baku, the joy of Ankara, the pride of Shusha as the pride of our entire nation. Those who want to weaken this brotherhood that we have strengthened with the bond of alliance with the declaration we signed in Shusha on June 15, 2021, will never achieve their goals today and tomorrow, as they did yesterday. With the permission of God Almighty, our togetherness will always last.

SUPPORT FOR PEACE: We are also working with all our strength to make this vision dominant in the Turkish world. The advanced level that our Organization of Turkish States has reached today is the most concrete result of our common will and efforts. On this occasion, I would like to thank Azerbaijan for its efforts for the unity and solidarity of the Turkish world during the term presidency. Hopefully, we will strive to ensure that the organization has a more effective and institutional structure during our term presidency. Azerbaijan's liberation of its own lands from occupation with the 44-day Homeland War opened the door to a new era in the South Caucasus. The task before us today is to crown the victory won in the squares with permanent peace and stability. Just as we embrace Azerbaijan's rightful struggle, we also support its sincere efforts to establish permanent peace in our region.

NEW MARKING OF COOPERATION: We follow with great appreciation the efforts made by Azerbaijan for the reconstruction of Karabakh and restoring the former vitality of the region. Hopefully, we will continue to share our experience and contribute to reconstruction and development efforts on this path. Most recently, we were proud to open the Türkiye-Azerbaijan International Forestry Training Center and Nursery Facility in Cebrail. This facility, established with the contributions of our Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, has become a new symbol of Türkiye-Azerbaijan cooperation. In addition, the construction of our 14 thousand 500 square meter school with 40 classrooms has started in Aghdam.

Türkiye IS BY YOUR SIDE: We passed through seven different tunnels while coming here. These seven tunnels reveal how successful the construction of infrastructure in the region has been. And as we come to Shusha, we are fortunate to see where we came from. I believe that Shusha will be much different the next time we come. Because there is a leader and a staff who believe in this work and are committed to this work, and this leader and this staff continue on their way with the same belief and determination. As Türkiye and the Turkish nation, we will continue to be with you always, to know your sorrow as our grief and your joy as our joy. I pray that God grant that our crescent and star red flag and the glorious Azerbaijani flag will fly side by side in the skies forever.

'We don't let anyone come between us'

Azerbaijani President Aliyev also thanked President Erdoğan. Stating that Erdoğan and the brotherly Turkish people were on the side of Azerbaijan during the 2nd Karabakh War, Aliyev said, "The statement you made in the first hours of the war and the phone call you had with me showed the whole world that brother Türkiye was on the side of Azerbaijan. Your statement gave us additional strength and morale." Reminding Erdogan's words "Azerbaijan is not alone, Turkey is with it", Aliyev emphasized that these historical words will never be forgotten and said, "The Azerbaijani people know this very well and therefore they are grateful to you personally and the brother Turkish people."

'Our unity is unshakable'

Aliyev stated that the 2nd Karabakh War once again showed the unity of Türkiye and Azerbaijan, and with the signing of the Shusha Declaration, relations officially rose to the level of alliance. Aliyev continued as follows:

"The people of Türkiye and Azerbaijan are brother peoples. There are no people and states in the world as interconnected as we are. This is our great wealth. The Shusha Declaration only put these historical and cultural relations into an official framework. What unites us is our common history, ethnic roots, language, literature and spiritual values. This is a great fortune. Our unity and brotherhood are unshakable. Those who want to shake this will never achieve their desires. We, as two people, and above all as two leaders, protect this wealth. "We do not allow anyone to come between us or to cast a shadow on our unity, brotherhood and solidarity for the sake of their own personal interests."

'We are much stronger together'

Aliyev said, "Türkiye's strong economy, strong industrial potential and political weight are a reality today. This makes us very happy and strengthens us. Azerbaijan has also gone through a great development process in recent years and is taking firm steps forward on this path today. We are much stronger together. He gave the message: "Türkiye-Azerbaijan unity is an important factor in the region covering a wide geography."

Aliyev said, "Despite his busy schedule, Mr. President's presence here in Karabakh on this Victory Day once again shows our unity to the whole world. "I am sure that this union will be eternal," he said.

coming to Türkiye

It was learned that Aliyev will come to Türkiye for the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which started today in Antalya.

EMINE ERDOĞAN: I CONGRATULATE FROM MY HEART

President Erdoğan's wife, Emine Erdoğan, shared a post about her visit to Azerbaijan on her social media account. First Lady Erdoğan said, "I wholeheartedly congratulate 8 November Azerbaijan Victory Day, the joy and pride of which we share. "I commemorate with mercy and gratitude all the heroes of brother Azerbaijan who sacrificed their lives for this historical victory," he said.

Visit to the Victory Monument

President Erdoğan toured Shusha Castle with Aliyev. Then, Erdoğan laid a wreath at the Khojaly Genocide Monument, visited the museum about the Khojaly Massacre and received information from the authorities. Erdoğan and Aliyev then went to the Khankendi Victory Monument. Erdoğan laid a wreath here and prayed for the martyrs. After attending the official dinner hosted by Aliyev, President Erdoğan went to Fuzuli Airport. Erdoğan and his wife Emine Erdoğan were bid farewell at the airport by Aliyev and his wife Mihriban Aliyeva and other relevant people.

Victory messages...

■ Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, in his message shared on social media, said: "Karabakh Victory is the historical sign of the will, perseverance and determination of dear Azerbaijan to achieve its territorial integrity. "I commemorate our heroic martyrs who liberated Karabakh with mercy and our veterans with gratitude," he said.

■ AK Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik said, "We celebrate Azerbaijan's Victory Day and commemorate our heroic martyrs with mercy and gratitude" in the message he shared with the tag "One Nation, Two States".

Video celebration from MHP

■ In the video post made on MHP's social media account, MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli's words were included: "Karabakh is Turkish, Karabakh is free, Karabakh is Azerbaijan. Karabakh is the steel wrist of the Turks. We are two states, one nation. We are the same soul in two separate bodies. We are the Turkish nation."

Özgür Özel congratulated

NEW Party Chairman Özgür Özel also said, "On the 6th anniversary of the Karabakh Victory, I celebrate Azerbaijan's Victory Day; I commemorate the martyrs with mercy and the heroic veterans with gratitude."

CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also noted the following in his message: "For us, the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is always a national issue. Azerbaijan's joy is our joy, its sorrow is our sorrow. The victory in Karabakh is our pride, as well as our brother Azerbaijan's."