President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as well as other Turkish officials on Tuesday congratulated Azerbaijan on its 31st anniversary of gaining independence.
“I congratulate Azerbaijan, our dear brother and friend, with whom we share a common destiny, on the occasion of Azerbaijan's Independence Day, Oct. 18, and extend my regards and affection to all my Azerbaijani brothers and sisters on behalf of my country and nation,” Erdoğan wrote on Twitter.
Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Twitter: "We are always together. Happy Oct. 18 Independence Day to Azerbaijan."
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also congratulated Azerbaijan on Twitter and said: "We Turks were born free, we live free!"
Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said: "One Nation, Two States ... Happy Independence Day to our friend, brother, dear Azerbaijan, which declared its independence on Oct. 18, 1991."
In a Twitter post, Türkiye's National Defense Ministry said: "Our essence is one ... Our word is one ... Our strength is one ... We celebrate the Independence Day of brotherly Azerbaijan and greet the noble Azerbaijani people wholeheartedly. With the understanding of 'One Nation, Two States,' we will continue to be together in sorrow and joy."
Azerbaijan first declared independence from the Russian czarist regime but was toppled after almost two years in 1920 by the Soviet Union, and the people of Azerbaijan managed to restore state independence on Oct. 18, 1991.
On Nov. 9, 1991, Türkiye became the first state to recognize the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan is planning to visit Zangilan on Thursday to attend the opening of the new airport.
Following the war with Armenia in 2020 over the Karabakh region, Azerbaijan launched a massive reconstruction initiative in the liberated lands.
Türkiye was a key backer of Azerbaijan during the 44-day Karabakh war between Baku and Yerevan, which erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, and ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire on Nov. 10. During the faceoff that started in September 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades. The peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.
