Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has marked the 10th anniversary of the July 15, 2016 failed coup attempt in Türkiye in a letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In the letter, published by Azerbaijan’s presidency on Wednesday, Aliyev said he honours with “deep respect” the memory of all martyrs who sacrificed their lives in defence of their homeland during the coup attempt and expressed his deepest condolences to their families and the Turkish people.
“Ten years ago, brotherly Türkiye wrote one of the most tragic, yet most honourable chapters of its modern history,” Aliyev said.
Noting that the coup attempt was repelled “thanks to the unwavering determination, steadfastness, and boundless loyalty of the Turkish people to their Motherland,” Aliyev said the Turkish people’s actions had been “eternally etched into the national memory as a true epic of heroism.”
“Your decisive and visionary leadership, the close unity of your people around you, and their immediate and unwavering response to your calls were among the key factors that saved your country from great tragedies on that fateful night,” Aliyev said.
He said that under Erdogan’s leadership, Türkiye emerged from the ordeal “even stronger, once again demonstrating its national will and traditions of statehood to the entire world.”
“The events of that historic day proved that no insidious intention or destructive force can withstand the unity of the people and the state,” Aliyev said, adding that Democracy and National Unity Day stands as a symbol of the Turkish people’s “national solidarity, fighting spirit, traditions of statehood, and will for freedom.”
He also said the Azerbaijani people and state, guided by the principle of “one nation, two states,” demonstrated solidarity with Türkiye and stood by its side in those decisive moments, reaffirming “how strong and unshakable” the brotherhood and unity of the two peoples are.
Aliyev expressed confidence that the friendship and brotherhood between their countries will be “further strengthened,” and that their “strategic alliance” will continue to develop along an upward trajectory and be enriched with new content through joint efforts.
“My Dear Brother, I wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your highest state duties, and I wish peace, tranquillity, prosperity, and welfare to the brotherly Republic of Türkiye,” Aliyev added.
