Erdoğan, Emine Erdoğan and MHP issue Karabakh Victory Day messages

President Erdoğan marked the sixth anniversary of Karabakh’s liberation from 30 years of occupation and commemorated the martyrs with mercy. Emine Erdoğan, the MHP and Communications Director Duran also issued messages for Azerbaijan’s November 8 Victory Day.

Türkiye marked the sixth anniversary of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh Victory with messages issued by the country’s senior officials. In a post on his social media account, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "I wholeheartedly congratulate the sixth anniversary of Karabakh’s liberation from 30 years of occupation and the Victory Day of friendly and brotherly Azerbaijan. I commemorate with mercy all our martyrs who made this great victory possible with their blood and lives and fell for their homeland."

Erdoğan spent Victory Day in Karabakh at the invitation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Welcomed by the Aliyev couple at Fuzuli International Airport, Erdoğan met with Aliyev in Shusha and visited the Khojaly Genocide Memorial and the Victory Monument in Khankendi.

Emine Erdoğan: "I wholeheartedly congratulate it"

Emine Erdoğan, who accompanied President Erdoğan during his visit to Karabakh, also shared a message on her social media account: "I wholeheartedly congratulate Azerbaijan’s November 8 Victory Day, whose joy and pride we share. I commemorate with mercy and gratitude all the heroes of brotherly Azerbaijan who sacrificed their lives for this historic victory."

According to Anadolu Agency, Mehriban Aliyeva embraced Emine Erdoğan and warmly welcomed her at the reception in Fuzuli. Following the official ceremony in Shusha, Emine Erdoğan met with Aliyeva and Leyla Aliyeva, the daughter of the Aliyev couple; afterward, they went to the Khankendi Congress Center for the official dinner.

Anadolu Agency footage shows the two families posing together for a commemorative photograph in Shusha, while Emine Erdoğan poses with Mehriban Aliyeva and Leyla Aliyeva on a balcony overlooking Shusha.

MHP: "Karabakh belongs to Turks, Karabakh is Azerbaijan"

The Nationalist Movement Party also posted on its NSosyal account: "May the Karabakh Victory of November 8, 2020, be blessed. On the sixth anniversary of the Karabakh Victory, we commemorate our revered martyrs with mercy and express our gratitude to our veterans." In a video post titled "May Azerbaijan’s November 8 Victory Day be blessed," the party quoted MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli as saying: "Karabakh belongs to Turks, Karabakh is free, Karabakh is Azerbaijan. Karabakh is the Turkish nation’s steel wrist. We are two states, one nation. We are the same soul in two separate bodies. We are the Turkish nation."

Erdoğan and Aliyev with their spouses in front of Turkish and Azerbaijani flags

Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said, "The Karabakh Victory is a historic testament to brotherly Azerbaijan’s will, determination and resolve to regain its territorial integrity. I congratulate Azerbaijan’s November 8 Victory Day and commemorate with mercy the heroic martyrs who liberated Karabakh and with gratitude the veterans."

Azerbaijani flag projected onto the 15 July Martyrs Bridge

Azerbaijan’s APA agency Turkey bureau said that an Azerbaijani flag was projected onto Istanbul’s 15 July Martyrs Bridge for Victory Day. Images on the specially illuminated bridge were recorded by Istanbul residents on their mobile phones.

In the Second Karabakh War, which began on September 27, 2020, and lasted 44 days, Azerbaijan regained much of its territory that had been under Armenian occupation for approximately 30 years. The liberation of Shusha on November 8, 2020, became the turning point of the war, and Azerbaijan celebrates this date as Victory Day. Türkiye stood by Azerbaijan throughout the war, and Erdoğan’s words, "Azerbaijan is not alone," are still remembered in Azerbaijan today.

Photo and video: Anadolu Agency

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Erdoğan, Emine Erdoğan and MHP issue Karabakh Victory Day messages