Following is the message President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued on the occasion of the “State Flag Day” of Azerbaijan:
On behalf of my country and my nation, I congratulate the “9 November State Flag Day” of our brother, Azerbaijan, with which we act in the international arena as “two states, one nation.”
The late poet Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh describes the brotherhood between Azerbaijan and Turkey as “two sons of the one mother.”
With the steps we take as two brotherly countries, we show to the entire world that we are brothers not just in words but in deeds in all areas from politics to diplomacy, from energy to defense.
We support with all our heart and means Azerbaijan’s fight to liberate its territories in Nagorno-Karabakh, which have been under Armenian occupation for nearly 30 years despite the UN and OSCE resolutions.
Following the liberation of ancient Turkish city of Shusha yesterday, our hope for and belief in decisive victory has been further bolstered.
It is our desire and wish that Armenia, which has suffered a defeat against Azerbaijan’s heroic army, hand over the lands under its occupation to their true owners without further bloodshed.
Turkey will continue to stand by its Azerbaijani brothers and sisters until the glorious flag of Azerbaijan flies freely across the entire Nagorno-Karabakh.
With these thoughts, I congratulate the “Flag Day” of my dear brother Ilham Aliyev and the Azerbaijani Turks, and remember with grace our glorious brothers and sisters who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the homeland, the flag, the adhan and for freedom.