On the second anniversary of the Karabakh Victory, Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun participated in the "One Nation One Victory" programme organised by the Tuzla Municipality and Azerbaijan's Consulate General in İstanbul.
Starting his speech by conveying President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's greetings, Director of Communications Altun stated that they referred to Azerbaijan as a "brother" and used terms such as "Beloved Azerbaijan" and "Brother Azerbaijan."
Reading lines from Bahtiyar Vahapzade's Azerbaijan-Türkiye poem "Two sons of a mother / Two branches of a cause / One is great, the other is also great / Azerbaijan and Türkiye," Director of Communications Altun stated, "We are overjoyed that the lands of brotherly Azerbaijan that were under Armenian occupation for 30 years were liberated. This holy struggle began on September 27. It took 44 days, and we experienced every moment of these 44 days together. We experienced it second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. We witnessed how Azerbaijan fought and achieved victory."
Director of Communications Altun emphasised that this occupation was a major attack on the nation and continued:
"It was an attack on Turkic identity, an attack on Islam. The liberation of Shusha and the Karabakh lands was essentially a victory not only for Azerbaijan but also for Türkiye and the Turkic world. Praise be to God, this victory has been won, and we are celebrating the second anniversary of this victory with glory and honour today."
"Unfortunately, the world remained silent in the face of this persecution"
Remarking that this illegal occupation by Armenia occurred in full view of the international community for thirty years, Director of Communications Altun stated that Azerbaijan and Türkiye fought arduously on all international platforms to bring attention to this occupation and end it and used every diplomatic opportunity available.
Director of Communications Altun said, "We were facing an almost forgotten occupation. Unfortunately, the world remained silent in the face of this persecution. During this occupation, many innocent lives were lost. Millions of Azerbaijani citizens have been displaced. Several historical and cultural structures were destroyed."
Noting that Vice President of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev invited them to the liberated lands in April 2021, Director of Communications Altun stated that they had gone to Karabakh as a delegation, visited many sites, and could not forget their visit to Aghdam.
Director of Communications Altun stated that President Erdoğan had a very clear stance on the use of all of Türkiye's capabilities in the development of the region and Karabakh, and he urged all institutions and organisations to convey this attitude.
Director of Communications Altun said that over this two-year period, they witnessed not only the liberation of Karabakh but also its advancement, and added:
"All of Azerbaijan's and Türkiye's initiatives on international platforms over the past three decades went unrecognised; therefore, what needed to be done was apparent. Azerbaijan, utilising its own means and, of course, with Türkiye's assistance, crowned this process with a victory within 44 days."
Director of Communications Altun underlined that Azerbaijan conducted this act in conformity with its rights arising from international law, stating, "There was an occupation followed by a process of liberation that ended the occupation; thus, it was in accordance with international law."
"Türkiye assisted Azerbaijan in four areas"
Directorate of Communications Altun said that Türkiye assisted Azerbaijan in four areas during the aforesaid time period and added:
"Türkiye assisted Azerbaijan regarding political matters. Our President, with all of his influence, prestige, and international expertise in his diplomatic leadership, brought this rightful struggle of Azerbaijan to the international arena and achieved a very significant diplomatic breakthrough on the international level to support Azerbaijan. On the other hand, various institutions and organisations, particularly our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, functioned as diplomatic envoys of Azerbaijan and communicated the country's just cause on several international platforms. Second, military support was undeniably given to Azerbaijan during this period. We have always defended our support on this issue by citing international law, despite the fact that there were deliberate efforts to cast doubt on it and find malign motivations behind it. However, they overlooked the fact that in 2010, Türkiye and the Republic of Azerbaijan signed an agreement to form a strategic alliance and mutual aid. Assistance was provided with reference to this agreement.
Director of Communications Altun remarked that by adhering to the terms of this agreement, the occupied regions of Azerbaijan were liberated through joined forces and a fierce struggle and that, thirdly, assistance on information was provided.
Director of Communications Altun emphasised that Armenia, utilising the Armenian lobby in the international arena, started intense disinformation and black propaganda on the very first day and stated that with this extensive disinformation and black propaganda, they attempted to erase the Armenian occupation and portray Azerbaijan as an invader.
Stating that they have been actively engaged in informing the world public correctly from the first day against these disinformation efforts, Director of Communications Altun said, "We brought all the competent reporters, channels and newspapers of the Turkish media to the field. Likewise, we brought international media to the field. Many personnel of our Directorate of Communications personally supported this process in terms of coordination."
Director of Communications Altun stated that during this process, they informed the world public from the field with the contribution of the international media in a highly effective cooperative manner, that the whole world saw who the invader was, and that the flow of news to the international media directly from the field invalidated the disinformation efforts of Armenia and the entire Armenian lobby.
Director of Communications Altun emphasised that social support of the nation was one of the most significant forms of support given to Azerbaijan and that Azerbaijan was profoundly supported via social media.
Director of Communications Altun stated that they trusted the power of Türkiye, Azerbaijan and the Turkic world in this process, and said:
" First, the international community attempted to isolate Türkiye and Azerbaijan. They tried to force us to take a step back immediately. However, the two leaders' resolute stance demonstrated that this process would not be stopped short of victory, and when the final victory came in Shusha, the entire world suddenly began talking about the negotiation table. Indeed, it was time to win at the table after the victory on the field. Thanks be to Allah, an intense diplomatic effort resulted in a victory at the table too. We would like to declare this; Our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters should know that they are not and will not be alone on this path. Under the leadership of our President, the Turkish nation will stand by them with all their means. We are also sure that Azerbaijan will never abandon us in our struggle for world peace under the leadership of our President. They will also support our contributions to the peace, welfare and stability of our region and the world."
Director of Communications Altun emphasised that this victory made Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and the Turkic world stronger and that this strength essentially was a message to the entire world.
"Türkiye has become a country that contributes to overcoming crises in its region"
Reminded of the remarks made by President Erdoğan on a television program, "You can manage crises, but you cannot manage uncertainties. You must be prepared for uncertainties. If you do not prepare for uncertainties, then you will face severe crises.", Director of Communications Altun pointed out that Türkiye's journey in the last 20 years under the leadership of President Erdoğan was the process of preparing for uncertainties.
Altun stated that in the last 20 years, Türkiye has implemented a strong development policy with a unique interpretation of modernisation while becoming independent from external pressures, and underlined that Türkiye, which has thus become an island of stability, has evolved into a stabilising power that also stabilises the world.
"Türkiye has become a stabilising power in its region and the world"
Stating that Türkiye has become a country that contributes to overcoming crises in its region and serves peace in the global arena, Director of Communications Altun continued his remarks as follows:
"This is essentially the result of very intense preparation. The steps taken for 20 years for Türkiye's domestic growth are not a factor that only benefits Türkiye. We witnessed it in Libya, Syria, and Nagorno-Karabakh. It is a component that promotes regional and global peace. In this regard, Türkiye's stabilising role is extremely significant, particularly in the international arena, which has grown increasingly unstable in the aftermath of the recent global pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Today, we see extremely brutal conflicts and incredibly chaotic developments on the global stage. Countries with strong leadership and established political stability stand out in these turbulent times. As a stabilising country, Türkiye, with its strong capability, serves not only its own peace and the peace of its own people but also regional and global peace. In this process, the leadership of our President has become a source of pride for our country, our state, and our nation. Today, Türkiye stands out as a country that offers genuine and realistic solutions to every regional and global crisis, from the Syrian crisis to the Russia-Ukraine war. Under the leadership of our President, we have become a stabilising power in the region and the world, and we contribute to global peace by advocating that 'a fairer world is possible' in the Century of Türkiye."
As part of the programme, the Director of Communications Altun inaugurated the exhibition of photographs shot by Anadolu Agency on the Karabakh victory.
Tuzla Mayor Şadi Yazıcı and Consul General of Azerbaijan to İstanbul Narmina Mustafayeva also delivered remarks at the event.
