President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan traveled to Karabakh at the invitation of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. The visit coincides with November 8 Victory Day, which marks the anniversary of Azerbaijan’s victory in the Second Karabakh War in 2020.
Erdoğan is accompanied by his wife, Emine Erdoğan; Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı; National Intelligence Organization Director İbrahim Kalın; Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran; Presidential Chief Adviser on Foreign Policy and Security Akif Çağatay Kılıç; AK Party Deputy Chairman and head of relations with the Organization of Turkic States Kürşad Zorlu; and Binali Yıldırım, chairman of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States.
Bilateral meeting with Aliyev
President Erdoğan will hold a bilateral meeting with Aliyev during the visit. According to Communications Director Duran, the two leaders will assess various aspects of Türkiye-Azerbaijan cooperation and discuss regional and global developments.
In a letter he sent Aliyev to mark the sixth anniversary of Victory Day, Erdoğan also emphasized that the “Great Victory” was a source of pride for the entire Turkic world and said that the South Caucasus was now recognized as a region of cooperation and development.
Aliyev and his wife welcome Erdoğan in Fuzuli
The aircraft carrying Erdoğan to Karabakh landed at Fuzuli International Airport in the region. The Azerbaijani Presidency said that a guard of honor was formed at the airport for the Turkish president. President Ilham Aliyev and his wife and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva welcomed Erdoğan and Emine Erdoğan in front of the aircraft.
Footage shows Erdoğan and Aliyev speaking in front of the aircraft, with Aliyev shaking hands one by one with members of the Turkish delegation and Erdoğan doing the same with the Azerbaijani officials who welcomed him. The two leaders then walked arm in arm across the tarmac and entered the airport building.
AA reported that during the welcome, the two leaders presented flowers to each other’s wives, while Mehriban Aliyeva hugged Emine Erdoğan and welcomed her warmly.
The leaders and their wives traveled from the airport to Shusha. At a press conference later that day, Erdoğan said they had passed through seven separate tunnels on the way from Fuzuli to Shusha, adding: “These seven tunnels demonstrate how successful infrastructure construction has been in the region. We are grateful to see how far we have come on the way to Shusha.”
Official ceremony and family photo in Shusha
Erdoğan and his wife were officially received by Aliyev and Mehriban Aliyeva in front of the Shusha Governor’s Office. After the two leaders took their places at the ceremony, a military band played the national anthems of the two countries, and Erdoğan and Aliyev introduced the members of their delegations to each other. After the ceremony, the two families posed for a family photo in front of the Turkish and Azerbaijani flags.
The video shows Erdoğan and Aliyev standing side by side at the ceremony, while the guard of honor wearing traditional fur hats salutes and the military band stands in front of a screen displaying the words “November 8 Victory Day.” The footage also shows delegations of ministers and military commanders from the two countries lined up at the ceremony area.
Following the official welcome, Erdoğan and Aliyev held a private meeting at the Shusha Governor’s Office and held a joint press conference.
Photo: AA. Video: Social media
