Ankara hosts event on occasion of Azerbaijan Independence Day

A solemn event dedicated to Azerbaijan Independence Day and Armed Forces Day has been held at the National Congress Center at the Presidential Complex of Turkiye in Beshtepe, Azernews reports.

Members of the Turkish government and parliament, representatives of the diplomatic corps, high-ranking officers, cadets of military schools, veterans of the Turkish Armed Forces operation to ensure peace in Cyprus, activists of the Azerbaijani diaspora, scientists and cultural figures attended the event.

The Azerbaijani Ambassador to Turkiye Rashad Mammadov addressed the participants of the event with a welcoming speech. He focused on the significance of the legacy of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), founded 106 years ago and which became the first democratic state in the Islamic world, and also noted the role of the creators of the ADR in the formation of statehood of Azerbaijan.

In his speech, Rashad Mammadov hailed the historical merits of National Leader Heydar Aliyev in protecting and developing the Azerbaijani statehood and emphasized the undeniable contribution of Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan to strengthening fraternal ties and strategic ties between Azerbaijan and Turkiye.

Rashad Mammadov highly appreciated the achievements of modern Azerbaijan associated with the name of the worthy successor of Heydar Aliyev's course, President Ilham Aliyev. According to him, the country's successes were manifested in all areas, including in the field of building the Armed Forces.

"The valiant army of Azerbaijan under the command of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev brought to life the behest of the great Heydar Aliyev and liberated the occupied lands. We are rightfully proud of our Armed Forces," the head of the diplomatic mission said.

Rashad Mammadov recalled that on the Days of the 44-day Patriotic War, Turkiye and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan personally declared their strong support for Azerbaijan's fair struggle against the Armenian occupiers.

"We are sincerely grateful to the friendly country and its leadership. Let's not forget the solidarity of support! We are “one nation, two states.” Azerbaijan and Türkiye are together in sorrow and in joy," the ambassador said.

Chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmus stressed the importance of further consolidating the efforts of Ankara and Baku in the name of the interests of the entire Turkic world.

According to him, the Turkic states are step by step turning into a new global center of power. The speaker of the Turkish Parliament welcomed the efforts of the Turkic countries to strengthen bilateral and multilateral ties and noted that today, when major geopolitical changes are taking place in the world, the importance of the unity and cohesion of the Turkic world is increasing.

“In the current situation, the importance of the Turkic states located in a strategically important region of the planet is increasing. I believe that the transformation of the Turkic world into a new global center of power is inevitable. I am confident that the cohesion of our countries will make a significant contribution to ensuring peace on the planet,” Kurtulmush said, pointing to the role of the Organization of Turkic States and TURKPA in promoting integration processes in the Turkic world. Kurtulmus named Turkey and Azerbaijan as one of the main driving forces in these processes.

The speaker of the Turkish parliament welcomed the achievements of modern Azerbaijan and emphasized the contribution of the leadership of the two fraternal countries to the liberation of the historical lands of Azerbaijan.

"In just 44 days, Azerbaijan solved the most difficult problem of the Caucasus region - liberated Karabakh from many years of Armenian occupation," Kurtulmush said, noting that the Turkish side is ready to participate in the restoration of the de-occupied lands of Azerbaijan.

The Speaker of Parliament called for further development of relations between the two countries in all areas, including education, sports and culture.

"The peoples of Turkiye and Azerbaijan are part of a single Turkic world. It is important to do everything possible to pass on stronger and more developed states to future generations," Kurtulmus said.

Next, a video was shown dedicated to the achievements of the Azerbaijani state.

The event continued with a concert program with the participation of artists Chinara Malikzade, Sahib Pashazade, Kanan Gadimov and Aynur Iskandarli. The performance of the Folk Dance Ensemble of the Azerbaijan State Philharmonicwas greeted with thunderous applause.

As part of the event, a photo exhibition was organized on the topic of cooperation between two fraternal countries - Azerbaijan and Turkiye.