President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was in Azerbaijan’s Shusha on Sunday, the venue where a declaration of alliance was signed five years ago between two countries. The main purpose of Erdoğan’s visit was to celebrate the country’s Victory Day, which marked the retaking of its occupied lands from Armenian separatists in 2020, but it was also a reaffirmation of ties between the two countries after a brief, turbulent episode. Erdoğan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev underlined at a joint news conference that relations are sturdy and pledged they won’t be disrupted.

Erdoğan said at the news conference that those seeking to weaken the brotherhood between the two countries and nations would fail to achieve what they wanted. For his part, Aliyev dismissed disruption to ties between the countries and said they valued bonds between them and “nobody can disrupt our brotherhood.” “We won’t forget your support, support of the Turkish nation at the Second Karabakh War,” Aliyev said as he turned to Erdoğan during the news conference.

“I am delighted to be here on the anniversary of (the) Karabakh (victory),” Erdoğan said at the news conference held shortly after his arrival in Shusha, where he was welcomed by Aliyev at the Fuzuli International Airport and walked arm in arm with the Azerbaijani leader. Erdoğan remembered the martyrs of Azerbaijan who died for the liberation of Karabakh and extended greetings to veterans.

“Six years ago, under the resilient leadership of my brother Ilham, the people of Azerbaijan fought bravely and gave Karabakh its freedom back. This glorious victory is the best display of Azerbaijan’s righteous cause and remains a source of pride for all Turkic countries,” Erdoğan said.

Most of the Karabakh region, which had been under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades, was liberated by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement and also opened the door to normalization with Yerevan.

On Nov. 8, the Azerbaijani army liberated the city of Shusha, which was later declared as Victory Day by a presidential decree.

Initially, Victory Day was to be celebrated on Nov. 10, the day of the end of the Second Karabakh War, but this was later changed due to coinciding with the anniversary of the passing of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye.

Erdoğan said at the news conference that relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan stood the test of time and overcame challenges to reach the state they were in now. He reiterated the motto of the two countries, “one nation, two states,” and underlined “unity of hearts which illuminates our future.” “Our brotherhood is beyond a shared language, history and culture,” he added.

The president recalled how the Shusha Declaration he signed with Aliyev on June 15, 2021, in the city cemented their ties, adding that those seeking to weaken the brotherhood would never be able to achieve their goals. “Allah willing, we will be together forever,” he said.

Türkiye last month hosted a summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), bringing together Central Asian nations, Azerbaijan and other Turkic states. Erdoğan said they were trying to spread the vision of unity with Azerbaijan to the entire Turkic world. “The level the OTS reached is the most tangible indication of our joint will to achieve this,” he said, before thanking Azerbaijan, whose rotating presidency of the OTS ended with the summit in Türkiye. Türkiye took over the leadership of the body and Erdoğan said they hoped to make the OTS more efficient and more institutional under their tenure.

The president stated that 44 days of battle helped Azerbaijan save its territories from occupation and also paved the way for a new era in the South Caucasus. “Today, our mission is to crown this victory with lasting peace and stability. Just as we endorsed Azerbaijan’s righteous struggle, we support its sincere efforts for lasting peace in our region. We also appreciate its efforts for reconstruction and revival of Karabakh. Every resettled home, every new work in Karabakh symbolizes the faith of the people of Azerbaijan in the future,” he said. Erdoğan added that Türkiye would contribute to rebuilding and redevelopment work, giving the example of the inauguration of the Türkiye-Azerbaijan forestry works training center recently opened in Jabrayil. He said they were also working on construction of a new school in Aghdam.

He noted that they crossed seven tunnels on the way to the venue of the news conference. “They show how successful the infrastructure work is, and we are pleased to see where Shusha is now. I believe Shusha will be an altogether different place in our next visit because Azerbaijan has a leader who devoted himself to recovery, a leader with like-minded cadres,” Erdoğan stated.

For his part, Aliyev recalled how Türkiye and Erdoğan stood with Azerbaijan during the Second Karabakh War, pointing out Erdoğan’s supportive statements within the first hours of the war and his phone call with Aliyev. “It demonstrated to the whole world that brotherly Türkiye stood with Azerbaijan, it boosted our morale,” he said. He said the people of Azerbaijan were grateful to Erdoğan and the brotherly people of Türkiye.

He reiterated how they elevated their ties to an alliance with the Shusha Declaration, though both countries were verbally allied in the past as well. “Nowhere else in the world are two peoples and two states linked to each other as such. This is our treasure. The Shusha Declaration only gave an official framework for our historic and cultural relations. What unites us is our history, ethnic roots, language, literature and values,” he stated.

Aliyev said their unity and brotherhood were “unshakable.” “Those trying to disrupt it cannot achieve what they set out to do. We won’t allow anyone to come between us and overshadow our unity, brotherhood and solidarity for their personal interests,” Aliyev stated.

President Aliyev said that Türkiye was transformed into a major power under the leadership of Erdoğan and had a say in global affairs. “Türkiye’s strong economy, strong industrial potential and political weight are realities on the ground. This delights us and it also empowers us. Azerbaijan itself went through a major development phase in recent years. Together, we are far more stronger. Türkiye-Azerbaijan unity in the broader region is an important factor, a factor to ensure stability, cooperation and security,” Aliyev said.

Aliyev concluded his remarks by saying: “Despite the busy schedule of the esteemed president, his presence here in Karabakh on this Victory Day once again demonstrates our unity to the entire world. I am certain that this unity will be everlasting. No one in either Türkiye or Azerbaijan has any doubts about this.

“We were together in the past, we stood together during the war, we stand together today, and we will remain together in the future. I believe that this is precisely the main outcome of this historic visit. Türkiye-Azerbaijan unity is eternal and unshakable.”