The presidents of Türkiye and Azerbaijan on Thursday praised the unity and solidarity between the two countries in the face of challenges, especially following the 2023 twin earthquakes that shook Türkiye.
Türkiye will never forget the solidarity of the Azerbaijani people, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, speaking at the key delivery ceremony of quake-recovery houses in Kahramanmaraş province alongside Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Stressing that Baku has come with everything it had to heal wounds after the quakes, he also expressed appreciation for Azerbaijan's role in helping build the post-quake houses.
"Regardless of the conditions in the world and in our region, our priority is clear," the Turkish president said, adding that they are concerned with healing the wounds inflicted by the disaster "as soon as possible."
Aliyev, for his part, similarly praised unity and brotherhood with Türkiye: "I express the respect and love of the Azerbaijani people to those living in the earthquake-affected areas. You know and should know that you have 10 million brothers and sisters in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijanis also know we have over 80 million brothers and sisters in Türkiye. Long live Türkiye! Long live Türkiye-Azerbaijan unity and brotherhood!"
Expressing that the Azerbaijani people treated the earthquakes that hit southern Türkiye in February 2023 as their own, Aliyev said "tens of thousands" of Azerbaijanis began to fulfill their "fraternal duty" by providing humanitarian aid.
Aliyev highlighted that the same number of people were provided with new apartments quickly following the quakes, a testament to Erdoğan's "commitment, love and strong determination toward his people."
"At the same time, this is also evidence of a strong Türkiye, because only a strong state can carry out such a large-scale reconstruction and construction work in a short time," Aliyev said, adding that more than 1,000 Azerbaijani personnel were immediately sent to the region at the time.
He said as many as 53 people were rescued from the rubble by Azerbaijani personnel, while another 3,200 people were provided with medical assistance by Azerbaijani doctors in two field hospitals.
"Azerbaijan has always been by Türkiye's side, and Türkiye has always been by Azerbaijan's side. Today, my participation along with my dear brother in the opening of the ‘Azerbaijan' quarter is further evidence of our unity and friendship," he said, describing the establishment of the neighborhood as a "remarkable event."
He said the brotherhood and unity between the two countries are important factors not only for the region but also on a global scale, reminding that the Shusha Declaration officially elevated Turkish-Azerbaijani relations to the level of an alliance.
He recalled Türkiye's support for Azerbaijan on the issue of Karabakh from the first days of the 44-day conflict with Armenia in fall 2020, expressing Turkish solidarity "gave us additional strength."
"The people of Kahramanmaraş showed great resolve in the face of a terrible earthquake. They did not break or bend. They knew and believed that behind them stood a strong leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Behind them stands a strong Türkiye," he added.
On Feb. 6, 2023, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 Turkish provinces – Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa.
More than 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the quakes and many others in northern Syria.
The post-quake houses for which the delivery ceremony was held were built by the Azerbaijani government and the Housing Development Administration of the Republic of Türkiye (TOKI), in the "New Azerbaijan Neighborhood" of Kahramanmaraş.
