Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan participated in the ceremony of Day of Ashura for the first time in Turkey. This day is well-known because of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad and the third Shia Imam.

Erdogan accompanied by the leader of Turkey Shia people Selahattin Ozgunduz participated in the annual ceremony in Halkali district of Istanbul, Milliyet daily reports.

In his speech Ozgunduz touched upon the chill in Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, conditioning it by Armenia-Turkey Protocols.

“As the late Azeri former President Heydar Aliyev said we are two states, one nation. Mr. Prime Minister said the protocols will not be implemented without Karabakh conflict settlement. I believe in his words,” he said.