Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a letter to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of Azerbaijan’s November 8 Victory Day.
The letter, published on November 7 on the official website of the Azerbaijani Presidency, began with the salutation, “Mr. President, my dear brother.”
In his letter, Erdoğan wrote:
“On the occasion of the sixth anniversary of Victory Day, which marked the liberation of the ancient Azerbaijani lands that had remained under occupation for thirty years, I extend my most sincere congratulations, on behalf of my people and myself, to Your Excellency in particular and to all my Azerbaijani brothers and sisters.
“Azerbaijan’s just struggle, crowned with the Great Victory, has also become a source of pride for the entire Turkic world. The rapid progress being made in the reconstruction and revitalization of the regions liberated from occupation fills us all with pride.”
Erdoğan continued:
“I firmly believe that, drawing strength from our unshakable bonds of friendship and brotherhood, founded on the principle of ‘one nation, two states,’ which we elevated to the highest level with the Shusha Declaration, we will continue to work in close cooperation and solidarity, both in our bilateral relations and on the international stage.”
Aliyev had also issued a message on October 29
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had also sent a congratulatory message to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the occasion of October 29 Republic Day.
In his message, which began with the words “my dear brother,” Aliyev congratulated President Erdoğan and the Turkish people, on behalf of himself and the Azerbaijani people, on the 103rd anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey.
Erdoğan to visit Azerbaijan
Amid the tensions that have persisted for some time between Turkey and Azerbaijan, President Erdoğan is taking a new step. Erdoğan had announced that he planned to travel to Baku on November 8 for Azerbaijan's Victory Day.
A chronology of the tension
President Erdoğan’s criticisms, made without explicitly naming Azerbaijan, at the United Nations General Assembly concerning Azerbaijan’s close relations with Israel, along with strong reactions from Turkey to the ban on headscarf in Azerbaijani schools, had heightened tensions between Baku and Ankara.
In response to the high-level criticism coming from Turkey, Azerbaijan’s ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) issued a strongly worded statement accusing Turkey of interfering in its domestic affairs and conducting a smear campaign. Although AKP Deputy Chairman Kürşat Zorlu subsequently stated that “we resolve our problems within the family,” tensions between Baku and Ankara have continued. Subsequently, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry banned 31 Turkish citizens from entering Azerbaijan and declared them persona non grata.
On the same day, Turkish President Erdoğan called Aliyev by telephone, but neither country issued a detailed statement about the conversation. The day after the phone call, several of the individuals declared persona non grata were detained and subsequently released.
Aliyev also did not attend the Organization of Turkic States Summit held in Ankara on October 30. His participation had been expected to help ease diplomatic tensions. Azerbaijan was represented at the meeting by its foreign minister.
In his address, President Erdoğan, without naming any country, stated: “There is no room for separation, division, or discord in the family portrait of the Turkic world.”
On November 3, while traveling to South Korea, Erdoğan also used the aircraft's radio communications as it passed through Azerbaijani airspace to extend congratulations to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the Azerbaijani people on the November 8 Victory Day.
