Azerbaijan 'proud' to work alongside Türkiye in post-quake recovery

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has expressed his country’s "pride" to work alongside Ankara in reconstruction and restoration efforts ahead of the first anniversary of the devastating earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye.

“Azerbaijan continues its humanitarian activities in Kahramanmaras province and closely participates in the reconstruction and restoration works and the construction of social facilities,” Aliyev said on Monday in a letter addressed to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to his office.

"We are very proud to be with Türkiye in this noble and honourable mission," Aliyev said.

“Just as Türkiye stands by Azerbaijan in good times and in sad times, we always stand by Türkiye and will continue to do so. Because we are one nation, two states,” he added.

'Stronger and with honour'

Magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck Türkiye on February 6, 2023, claiming the lives of over 53,000 people.

14 million people were affected across 11 provinces – Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig.

“I express my condolences to you, to the families and relatives of the victims, to the fraternal people of Türkiye on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan,” Aliyev said.

The Azerbaijani president expressed he is certain that the Turkish state, thanks to Erdogan’s leadership and the Turkish people’s “determination to fight, its spirit of solidarity and its strong will,” will overcome the difficulties brought by the quakes and come out "even stronger and with honour.”

To mark the first approaching anniversary, Erdogan continues to attend handover ceremonies of new homes built for those left homeless in the affected regions.