Aliyev drove Erdoğan around Karabakh in his own vehicle

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev took the wheel after welcoming President Erdoğan, who had arrived in Karabakh for Victory Day, at Fuzuli Airport. A photograph released by the Azerbaijani Presidency shows Erdoğan sitting in the front passenger seat beside Aliyev.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made a warm gesture while hosting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who had arrived in Karabakh for Victory Day on November 8. One of the welcoming photographs published on the official website of the Azerbaijani Presidency shows Aliyev personally driving the black official vehicle leaving Fuzuli International Airport, with Erdoğan seated beside him in the front passenger seat.

The photograph shows Erdoğan looking toward the camera through the vehicle's window, while Aliyev, at the wheel, focuses on the road. The image was shared in the Azerbaijani Presidency's report on Erdoğan's arrival in Azerbaijan, alongside photographs from the welcoming ceremony at the airport, where an honor guard was lined up.

Aliyev and his wife, Mehriban Aliyeva, welcomed Erdoğan and his wife, Emine Erdoğan, in front of the aircraft. The two leaders greeted each other with an embrace and presented flowers to each other's wives. After the welcoming ceremony, the leaders traveled from Fuzuli to Shusha.

Arm in arm in Karabakh

The warm moments of the day were not limited to the vehicle ride. CNN Türk correspondent Fulya Öztürk recorded the two leaders walking arm in arm at the airport. In response to Öztürk's question, “You are in Karabakh once again. What are you feeling?”, Erdoğan said, “We are feeling good things. The weather is beautiful.” When Öztürk said, “May our victory be blessed, Mr. Aliyev,” Aliyev replied, “Thank you, welcome.”

Footage recorded by Fulya Öztürk for CNN Türk shows Erdoğan and Aliyev linking arms and smiling at the camera in front of Türkiye's presidential aircraft before walking toward the airport building with their wives and family members.

“Shusha will be very different on another visit”

At a joint news conference in Shusha, Erdoğan said they had passed through seven separate tunnels on the road from Fuzuli to Shusha and praised the reconstruction efforts in the region. “I believe that on another visit, Shusha will be very different. Fuzuli will be very different as well. Because there is a leader and a team that believe in this work and have committed themselves to it. This leader and this team are continuing on their path with the same belief and determination,” he said.

Official vehicles waiting for the leaders at Fuzuli International Airport

The two leaders met in Shusha throughout the day for an official welcoming ceremony, a tête-à-tête meeting and a joint news conference. They then visited Shusha Fortress, the Khojaly Genocide Memorial and the Victory Monument in Khankendi together.

Family dinner in Khankendi

At the end of the day, Aliyev and his wife, Mehriban Aliyeva, hosted an official dinner in Khankendi in honor of the Erdoğan couple. According to the Azerbaijani Presidency, a concert was held during the dinner, and the leaders and their families took a commemorative photograph with veteran soldiers who had been awarded the Karabakh and Victory medals.

In the short video Fulya Öztürk shared from the dinner, Aliyev's grandchildren can also be seen at the round table where the leaders and their wives were seated. After the dinner, Erdoğan was seen off at Fuzuli Airport by the Aliyev couple and departed for Türkiye.

Photo: Azerbaijani Presidency. Video: Fulya Öztürk / CNN Türk

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Aliyev drove Erdoğan around Karabakh in his own vehicle