Shusha, November 8, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered press statements in Shusha on November 8.

The President of Azerbaijan made the statement first.

Statement by President Ilham Aliyev

- Honorable Mr. President, my dear brother, welcome to Garabagh, Azerbaijan.

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 just one day later, Armenia officially surrendered. Thus, the 30-year occupation came to an end.

The city of Shusha remained under occupation for 28 years, yet it never lost its national spirit. The liberation of Shusha was of great symbolic significance and also marked one of the key moments of the Second Garabagh War.

My dear brother, you and the brotherly Turkish people stood by us throughout those 44 days. The statement you made in the first hours of the war, as well as your phone call to me, demonstrated to the entire world that brotherly Türkiye stood alongside Azerbaijan. Your statement gave us additional strength and morale. Your historic words – "Azerbaijan is not alone; Türkiye stands by its side" – will never be forgotten. The people of Azerbaijan are well aware of this and remain deeply grateful to you personally and to the brotherly people of Türkiye. The political and moral support you provided further boosted our morale.

Over the course of 44 days, the Azerbaijani Army liberated more than 300 cities and villages on the battlefield. We lost 3,000 martyrs in these battles. May Allah have mercy on all our martyrs. Their blood was not shed in vain: their revenge was taken on the battlefield, and historical justice was restored.

During the occupation, there were, of course, various periods when hopes emerged that the conflict could be resolved through peaceful means. However, Armenia's unconstructive stance prevented this from happening.

Today, the situation is completely different. A normalization process is now underway between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and I hope it will yield concrete results. As you know, Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed the peace agreement more than a year ago, but it has not yet been formally signed. There are specific reasons for this, which I believe are well known to the Turkish and Azerbaijani publics.

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

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

Today, under the leadership of my dear brother, esteemed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Türkiye has become a great power on the global stage. It has a say not only in regional processes but also in matters of global significance. Türkiye’s strong economy, industrial potential, and political weight are realities today. This greatly pleases us and makes us stronger. Azerbaijan, too, has made great strides in development in recent years and continues to move forward confidently. Together, we are even stronger. Across this vast geographical area, Türkiye-Azerbaijan unity is an important factor – a factor of stability, cooperation, and security.

I want to emphasize once again that, despite the busy schedule of my dear brother, the esteemed President, his presence here in Garabagh on this Victory Day once again demonstrates our unity to the whole world. I am confident that this unity will be eternal. I know that no one doubts this, either in Türkiye or in Azerbaijan. We were together in the past, we stood together during the war, we are together today, and we will remain together in the future. I believe this is precisely the main outcome of this historic visit.

Of course, when discussing bilateral relations, we can address many issues. These are all well known: political and economic ties, investment, energy, transport corridors, and the Zangezur Corridor. All these matters were discussed extensively today. However, I believe that the main outcome of the visit is precisely what I have stated: “Türkiye-Azerbaijan unity is eternal and unshakable.”

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

x x x

Then, the President of Türkiye made the statement.

Statement by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

- Honorable Mr. President, my dear brother,

Esteemed members of the delegation,

Esteemed members of the media,

I extend my warmest greetings and affection to you, both on my own behalf and on behalf of my country and nation.

I am delighted to be with you on the sixth anniversary of the Garabagh Victory. I am particularly pleased to be in beautiful Shusha, a city of history, nature, and culture, described by the poet in these words: "Like the dearest word used in our tongue, like a hearth warming our souls, like a burning ember, our Shusha blooming with the most fragrant flowers."

At the outset of my speech, I respectfully and reverently commemorate all our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Garabagh. We express our gratitude to our veterans and pray to Allah to grant them good health, prosperity, and long lives.

Six years ago, under the decisive leadership of my brother Ilham, the united people of Azerbaijan liberated Garabagh from occupation through their great heroism. This Glorious Victory continues to stand as the finest example of Azerbaijan's rightful struggle and a source of pride for the entire Turkic world.

As you know, relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan have passed numerous historical tests to reach their current high level. This unity of hearts, which we define with the motto "One nation, two states," is an unquenchable torch that illuminates our future with the strength drawn from our shared past. Our brotherhood goes beyond our common language, history, and culture. That is why we regard Baku's joy as Ankara's joy and the pride of Shusha as the pride of our entire nation.

Those who seek to weaken this brotherhood, which we further consolidated through our allied relations under the Declaration signed in Shusha on June 15, 2021, will never achieve their goals, whether today or tomorrow, just as they failed to do so yesterday. By the will of Allah, our unity will remain eternally unshakable.

We are also working with all our strength to make this mission a guiding principle throughout the Turkic world. The high level of development achieved by our Organization of Turkic States today is the clearest outcome of our shared will and efforts. Taking this opportunity, I express my gratitude to Azerbaijan for its efforts to promote the unity and solidarity of the Turkic world during its chairmanship. Insha'Allah, during our own chairmanship, we will also strive to transform the organization into a stronger and more institutionalized entity.

Dear representatives of the media, Azerbaijan’s liberation of its lands from occupation during the 44-day Patriotic War has opened the door to a new era in the South Caucasus. Our task today is to crown the Victory won on the battlefield with lasting peace and stability. Just as we supported Azerbaijan’s just struggle, we also support its sincere efforts to establish lasting peace in our region. We follow with great admiration Azerbaijan’s efforts to restore Garabagh and help the region regain its former beauty.

Every hearth rekindled, every building erected, and every historical monument restored in Garabagh demonstrates the Azerbaijani people’s confidence in the future. Insha’Allah, we will continue to share our experience and contribute to reconstruction and restoration efforts. Most recently, in Jabrayil, we had the honor of inaugurating the Azerbaijan-Türkiye International Forestry Training Center and the Smart Seedlings Enterprise. Established with the support of our Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, this facility has become another demonstration of Türkiye-Azerbaijan cooperation. Furthermore, construction has begun in Aghdam on a 40-classroom school covering an area of 14,500 square meters. Insha’Allah, I will attend its opening next year together with my brother Ilham.

My dear brothers, concluding my speech, particularly as we came here today, we passed through seven separate tunnels. These seven tunnels reveal how successful the infrastructure construction in the region is. On the way to Shusha, we were delighted to see how far we have come. I believe that during our next visit, Shusha will be much different, and Fuzuli will be different in another way. This is because there is a leader and a team who believe in this work and put their hearts into it. They continue along this path with the same faith and determination.

Once again, I pay my deepest respects to the cherished memory of our dear martyrs, who inscribed the Victory in Garabagh in the annals of our history with their lives and blood. I express my gratitude to our heroic veterans and once again sincerely congratulate my Azerbaijani brothers on this glorious Victory. Türkiye and the Turkish nation will, insha’Allah, always stand by your side, sharing in your sorrows and joys as though they were our own. Thank you.

As I conclude my remarks, I would like to recite the famous verses of the late poet Bakhtiyar Vahabzade:

In every way, we are one,

Our hopes and aspirations are one,

The crescent on our flags is one -

Azerbaijan–Türkiye.

May Allah grant that our red flag bearing the crescent and star and Azerbaijan’s glorious flag will fly side by side in the skies forever. With all my heart, I congratulate you on November 9, your State Flag Day, and convey my greetings and love from here to the brotherly people of Azerbaijan.

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