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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated Sunday that unity and brotherhood between Türkiye and Azerbaijan are unshakable, warning that "those who want to shake it will never achieve their desires," at a joint news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Shusha.
"We, as two peoples, and above all as two leaders, protect this wealth. We will not allow anyone to come between us or to cast a shadow over our unity, brotherhood and solidarity for their own personal interests," Aliyev said after a one-on-one meeting with President Erdogan at the Shusha governorate.
The Turkish president, visiting for Azerbaijan’s Victory Day, echoed the message.
"Those who want to weaken this brotherhood, which we fortified with an alliance through the declaration we signed in Shusha on June 15, 2021, will never achieve their aims, not yesterday, not today, not tomorrow. By Allah's will, our unity will always endure," he stated.
"The President’s presence here in Karabakh on this Victory Day, despite his busy schedule, shows the whole world our unity once again. I am sure this unity will be eternal. No one in Türkiye or in Azerbaijan has any doubt about this," Aliyev said.
"We were together in the past, we were together during the war, we are together today and we will be together in the future. I think the main result of this historic visit is exactly as I said. Türkiye-Azerbaijan unity is eternal and unshakable," he added.
Aliyev thanked the Turkish president for his support during the 2020 war.
"The statement you made in the first hours of the war and the phone call you had with me showed the whole world that brotherly Türkiye stood by Azerbaijan. Your statement gave us additional strength and morale," he said, recalling Erdogan’s words: "Azerbaijan is not alone; Türkiye is by its side."
Those historic words "will never be forgotten," Aliyev said, noting, "The people of Azerbaijan know this very well and are therefore grateful to you personally and to the brotherly Turkish people. The political and moral support you showed further boosted our morale."
Aliyev said the two countries had always been allies, even before the Shusha Declaration formally raised ties to an alliance.
"The peoples of Türkiye and Azerbaijan are brotherly peoples. There are no peoples and states in the world as connected to each other as we are. This is our great wealth. The Shusha Declaration only put these historical and cultural relations into a formal framework," he said.
"What unites us is our common history, ethnic roots, language, literature and spiritual values. This is a great wealth. Today, interstate relations also develop on this wealth and strong foundation," Aliyev added.
Azerbaijani president said Türkiye has become a major power under President Erdogan’s leadership with a say in global issues.
"Türkiye’s strong economy, strong industrial potential and political weight are a reality today. This makes us very happy and strengthens us too. Azerbaijan has also gone through a major development process in recent years and is today moving confidently on this path," he noted.
"We are much stronger together. In the region covering a wide geography, Türkiye-Azerbaijan unity is an important factor. It is a factor of stability, cooperation and security," Aliyev said.
President Erdogan said he was happy to be in Azerbaijan on the sixth anniversary of the Karabakh victory and in "beautiful Shusha, the city of history, nature and culture," opening his remarks by reciting verses about the city.
"I remember with gratitude and respect all our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of Karabakh. I extend my thanks to our veterans and pray to Allah for their health, well-being and long lives," he said.
"The Azerbaijani people, united under the wise leadership of my brother Ilham, heroically restored Karabakh to freedom. This glorious victory continues to be the finest manifestation of Azerbaijan’s just cause and a source of pride for the entire Turkic geography," the Turkish president said.
"Relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan have passed through various trials of history to reach today’s advanced level. This unity of hearts, which we describe with the motto ‘one nation, two states,’ is an eternal torch that lights our future with the strength it draws from our common past," he added.
"Our brotherhood goes far beyond a common language, history and culture. That is why we consider Baku’s joy as Ankara’s joy and Shusha’s pride as the pride of our entire nation," Erdogan said, adding, "We are also working with all our strength to make this vision prevail in the Turkic world."
"The advanced level our Organization of Turkic States has reached today is the most concrete result of our common will and efforts," the Turkish president said, thanking Azerbaijan for its work for the unity and solidarity of the Turkic world during its term as chair.
"Hopefully, during our term presidency, we will strive for the organization to have a more effective and more institutional structure," he noted.
President Erdogan also noted that Azerbaijan’s liberation of its lands through the 44-day war "opened the door to a new era in the South Caucasus."
"The task before us today is to crown the victory won on the battlefield with lasting peace and stability. Just as we embraced Azerbaijan’s just struggle, we support its sincere efforts toward establishing lasting peace in our region," he added.
"We follow with great appreciation the efforts Azerbaijan has made for the reconstruction of Karabakh and for restoring the region to its former vitality," President Erdogan said.
"Every hearth that is lit again in Karabakh, every work that rises and every historical heritage revived shows the Azerbaijani people’s faith in the future. Allah willing, we will continue to share our experience and contribute to reconstruction and development efforts," he added.
He said Türkiye opened the Türkiye-Azerbaijan International Forestry Training Center and Nursery in Jabrayil, built with contributions from the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, calling it "a new symbol of Türkiye-Azerbaijan cooperation."
Construction has also begun on a 40-classroom, 14,500-square-meter school in Aghdam.
"Allah willing, we will open it next year together with my brother Ilham," he said.
Noting that he passed through seven tunnels on the road from Fuzuli International Airport to Shusha, President Erdogan said: "These seven tunnels show how successful infrastructure construction in the region has been. On our way to Shusha, we have the good fortune of seeing how far we have come. I believe that on another visit Shusha will be very different. Fuzuli will be different. Because there is a leader and a team who believe in this work and have dedicated themselves to it. This leader and this team continue on their path with the same faith and the same determination."
"I once again remember with mercy our dear martyrs who inscribed the Karabakh victory into our history with their lives and blood. I extend my thanks to our heroic veterans and wholeheartedly congratulate my Azerbaijani brothers once again on this glorious victory," the Turkish president stated, adding, "As Türkiye and the Turkish nation, we will always continue to stand by you, to consider your sorrow our sorrow and your joy our joy."
Closing with lines by Azerbaijani poet Bahtiyar Vahabzade on the two nations’ unity, President Erdogan said: "May Allah grant that our crescent-and-star red flag and the glorious Azerbaijani flag wave side by side in the skies forever."
He congratulated Azerbaijanis on Nov. 9 State Flag Day, sent greetings to "the brotherly Azerbaijani people" and thanked Aliyev "once again for his warm hospitality."
The two leaders shook hands and raised their joined hands for photographers, underscoring the message of Türkiye-Azerbaijan unity.
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