UPDATE - 'Turkiye, Azerbaijan share strategic alliance under Shusha Declaration'

UPDATES WITH MORE QUOTES FROM TURKISH PRESIDENT; ADDS REMARKS BY AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) – As Turkiye and Azerbaijan enjoy strong, deep-rooted relations, the Turkish president on Saturday stressed the two countries' "strategic alliance" as cemented by last year’s declaration in the wake of Azerbaijan’s victory in a regional conflict with Armenia.

"We first elevated our relationship with Azerbaijan to a strategic partnership, and last year to a strategic alliance with the Shusha Declaration," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at leading Turkish aviation, space, and technology festival Teknofest, now held abroad for the first time, in the Azerbaijani capital Baku.

The two countries, he said, have taken bilateral ties to a level that is exemplary not only for the region but also for the entire world.

"We are organizing Teknofest, the world's most popular aviation, space and technology festival, in Baku, the pearl of the Caspian, with the slogan of one nation, two states, one festival."

Just like Turkish Anatolia, just like Turkiye itself, Azerbaijan is also our homeland, the Turkish leader added.

"Just as we do not have designs on anyone's lands or sovereignty, we do not and will not have a single inch of land to lose to people with malicious intent," he declared.

He added that Turkiye strongly supports Azerbaijan's efforts to establish lasting peace with neighboring Armenia.

- Turkiye-Azerbaijan cooperation

Erdogan also said Turkiye aims to establish lasting peace, trust, and good neighborly relations, and to strengthen regional stability as well.

"We will maintain close solidarity, contact, and coordination with Azerbaijan to realize these goals," he pledged.

Raising relations between Turkiye and Azerbaijan to the level of an alliance, the Shusha Declaration was inked in a ceremony attended by the two countries' presidents in the Azerbaijani city of Shusha, liberated in November 2020 from nearly 30 years of Armenian occupation.

It focuses on defense cooperation and establishing new transportation routes, affirming the two armies’ joint efforts in the face of foreign threats, and the restructuring and modernization of their armed forces.

The declaration decries how Armenia's groundless allegations against Turkiye and attempts to distort history are damaging peace and stability in the region. It also says the opening of the Zangezur corridor, connecting eastern Turkiye and Azerbaijan, and the Nakhichevan-Kars railway will further contribute to the strengthening of relations.

Turkiye was a key backer of Azerbaijan during the 44-day Nagorno-Karabakh war between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which erupted on Sept. 27, 2020 and ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire and sizeable Azerbaijani gains on Nov. 10.

Erdogan further said he had arrived in Azerbaijan with a large delegation as a sign of the good bilateral relations between Turkiye and Azerbaijan.

"We take pride in the successes of Azerbaijan which are rising as a paragon of stability in its region. We are proud of Azerbaijan which is making history in diplomacy, economy, and culture despite all the injustices and unlawfulness it has faced," he said.

For his part, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said the Teknofest festival is yet another sign of the unity between the two countries.

The unity of Turkiye and Azerbaijan is a major roadmap for the people of both countries, Aliyev said, adding that it is also a very important factor for the region and the world.

"The more confident steps Turkiye and Azerbaijan take, the stronger will be peace and stability in our region," he added.

Teknofest, first held on Turkish soil in 2018, has officially expanded to neighboring Azerbaijan this year and will run until May 29.

The four-day Teknofest Azerbaijan will feature 10 technology competitions in fields such as rockets, agriculture, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

2021 saw Azerbaijan take part in Turkiye's Teknofest for the first time with 11 local companies and startups.

At the Baku event, companies and entrepreneurs will showcase their products and technical solutions.

On the entertainment side, the festival will include aerobatic flight shows from the Azerbaijani Air Force, the Turkish Air Force Turkish Stars and Solo Turk, a vertical wind tunnel, water attractions, flight simulators, and robots.