Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone conversation with his Azerbaijani counterpart, President Ilham Aliyev, on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing development of bilateral relations and broader regional and global issues. According to a statement released by Türkiye’s Communications Directorate on X, the two leaders emphasized their commitment to further deepening the cooperation between their countries, rooted in their long-standing bonds of brotherhood.
During the call, President Erdogan extended his congratulations to President Aliyev on the 35th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s Restoration of Independence. The holiday, observed annually on October 18, commemorates the 1991 adoption of the Constitutional Law on the Independence of the State, which established Azerbaijan as the successor to the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic that had functioned from 1918 to 1920. Türkiye maintains a historic link to this milestone, having become the first nation to formally recognize Azerbaijan’s independence on November 9, 1991, shortly after the country’s initial declaration on August 30 of that year.
In addition to discussing regional affairs, President Erdogan formally invited the Azerbaijani leader to participate in the 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, which is scheduled to be held in Ankara. The relationship between the two nations has reached a high level of strategic integration in recent years, particularly following the signing of the Shusha Declaration in June 2021, which formally elevated their bilateral ties to the status of an alliance.
