Azerbaijan's Aliyev thanks Türkiye, Pakistan for support during Karabakh war

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) – Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday expressed gratitude to Türkiye and Pakistan for their political and moral support during the 2020 Second Karabakh War, saying their solidarity gave Azerbaijan additional strength.

In an address in the city of Lachin on the occasion of Azerbaijan’s Independence Day, Aliyev emphasized the symbolic importance of unity in a region that was under Armenian occupation for 30 years.

“Especially in this region, in the city of Lachin, which has been under occupation for 30 years, we being together has great symbolic meaning,” Aliyev said.

“During the 44-day Second Karabakh War, Türkiye and Pakistan supported us. Their support inspired us and gave us additional strength,” he said.

“We are always grateful to the leaders of brotherly countries and brotherly peoples for this great political and moral support,” the Azerbaijani president added.

Aliyev also praised the strengthening trilateral ties between Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Pakistan, saying: “The brotherhood of the three fraternal countries is growing stronger every year. We stand together in good and bad times.”

Lachin was one of the first areas to come under occupation in the early 1990s and was liberated by Azerbaijan following the war in the fall of 2020.