Azerbaijan thanks Turkish weightlifters for dedicating medals in European championship in Armenia

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) — Azerbaijan's president and first lady on Sunday thanked two Turkish weightlifters for dedicating their medals to the country during the 2023 European Weightlifting Championships in the Armenian capital Yerevan.

In an official statement, President Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva congratulated Cansu Bektas and Gamze Altun on winning three gold and one silver medal, respectively.

Aliyev and Aliyeva said the move "showed high skill, determination, and will to wave the flag of Türkiye" on the global stage while also playing the Turkish national anthem made "all the people of Azerbaijan happy."

On the dedication of Bektas and Altun's victories to Azerbaijan, they said this "proved once again that where Azerbaijan is not, Türkiye always represents us and supports our rightful cause. This is another manifestation of the unbreakable Azerbaijan-Türkiye brotherhood."

Azerbaijan on Saturday announced that it withdrew from the European Weightlifting Championship after the country's flag was burned by an officially accredited person at the opening ceremony of the competition on Friday.