Visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev declared, at a joint press conference, Turkey and Azerbaijan's "unbreakable alliance" and "support for efforts to establish lasting peace in the South Caucasus", Anadolu Agency reports.

Erdogan stressed that relations between Ankara and Baku "have gone through many historical trials and reached their current high level." In his opinion, Azerbaijan's current occupation of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) "has opened a new era in the South Caucasus."

Erdogan also recalled the Shushi Declaration signed on June 15, 2021, which enshrined the allied relations between the two countries. He stated that “those who seek to weaken the brotherly ties between Turkey and Azerbaijan will not be able to achieve their goals either today or in the future.”

The Turkish leader lauded Baku’s efforts to “restore Karabakh and return the region to its former vitality.” Ankara, he emphasized, “supports both Azerbaijan’s struggle for its own rights and its sincere efforts to establish a stable peace in the region.” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in turn, stated that Turkey supported his country throughout the war against Armenia and Artsakh.

“For 44 days, you and the brotherly Turkish people were by our side. That will never be forgotten,” Aliyev said, addressing Erdogan. “The unity of Turkey and Azerbaijan is eternal and unshakable,” the Azerbaijani leader emphasized.

According to him, the "brotherhood" of the two countries is impossible to destroy, and "attempts by third forces to stand between them are doomed to failure."