Erdogan visits Azerbaijan for third time since Karabakh liberation

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is visiting Azerbaijan for his third visit since the liberation of the Karabakh region.

Erdogan met his counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday, and attended the inauguration of the Fuzuli International Airport.

The Turkish leader was most recently in Azerbaijan in June, when he visited Shusha, the country’s cultural capital that was occupied by Armenia for 28 years.

Erdogan and Aliyev signed the Shusha Declaration during that trip, a pact focused on defence cooperation and establishing new transportation routes.

The agreement also affirms that Turkey and Azerbaijan will work together in the face of any external threat.

The Turkish president was also a guest of honour as Azerbaijan celebrated its Karabakh victory with a special parade in December 2020.

In his address at the event, Erdogan reaffirmed Ankara’s unwavering support for Baku’s security and development goals, vowing that the two countries will make the region “prosperous, developed and more liveable place for our children.” 

READ MORE: First meeting of Turkey-Azerbaijan Joint Media Platform held in Istanbul

Liberation of Karabakh

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

New clashes erupted on September 27, 2020, with the Armenian army launching repeated attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and also violating several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and some 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades.

The fighting ended on November 10, 2020 after the two countries signed an agreement brokered by Russia.