Speech by President Ilham Aliyev at a ceremony to unveil the monument to the founder of the Republic of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Dear Prime Minister, my dear brother!

Dear Amina Hanim!

Distinguished guests!

Dear friends!

Let me welcome you all from the bottom of my heart and congratulate you on the opening, in the center of Baku, of a monument to the great son of the Turkic world and outstanding leader, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

I am very pleased that my dear friend and brother, the Turkish prime minister and a large delegation he is leading, has joined us for this remarkable occasion. We are celebrating this historic day together.

Great statesman, outstanding military commander and politician, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk has left an indelible mark in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people who have always revered the memory of the great leader.

We all know very well that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk always loved and had a very special attitude towards Azerbaijan. His historic phrase “Azerbaijan’s grief and happiness are our own” is highly important for us. This is the road he has shown to us. Two fraternal peoples are moving along this road together.

It has so happened that at certain stages in history we were separated from each other. However, although Azerbaijan has been independent for only about 20 years, our hearts and souls were always together in previous years as well. Our relations of friendship and brotherhood not be undermined by any political structure or initiatives. It is not by chance that fraternal Turkey was the first country to recognize Azerbaijan’s state independence. Since then we have been together at all times and worked together in all directions. The relations of friendship and brotherhood between us are at a very high level, and the visit by the Turkish prime minister to Azerbaijan is further evidence of that.

We must do our best to continue to be together in the future too. This is what great leaders of the Turkic wanted us to do. The famous sayings by the great Ataturk in the early 20th century are still quite relevant today. The statements of Heydar Aliyev, the great leader of the Azerbaijani people of the 20th century, always lead us ahead. He said Turkey and Azerbaijan are one nation in two states. We are faithful to the words of this historic personality. We remain faithful at heart as well. We must ensure that future generations, too, live in friendship and fraternity, always help and take care of each other. These two historic sayings are not just words. There is profound meaning behind them. These historic sayings are enlightening our path. The road ahead of us must always be open and bright. To do that, we must always be together.

Today the relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan, the unity we are demonstrating are important not only to our countries but also to the region and the world as a whole. Turkey is playing an important and positive role in the world. Turkey’s opportunities for influencing regional developments are expanding. Turkey is getting stronger by the day. We are very happy about that because the stronger Turkey, the stronger Azerbaijan.

At the same time, Azerbaijan is rapidly developing. The measures we are taking, the work we are doing have made us much stronger. In 1991, when we regained our independence, the situation in Azerbaijan was very difficult. The country was in a deep crisis and its independence was in jeopardy. Today, Azerbaijan is the most dynamically developing country, a country safeguarding its own interests and taking steps to expand large-scale regional cooperation.

Turkish-Azerbaijani relations are multifaceted and broad. Of course, these relations have strong historical and cultural roots. The atmosphere of friendship and brotherhood between our peoples is making these relations even stronger. At the same time, the projects we are jointly implementing, all our steps in the transport, energy, cultural and humanitarian spheres are bringing us even closer together. Turkish-Azerbaijani relations are the key precondition for regional cooperation and no initiatives can be carried out in the region without respect for our interests.

I can say that Turkish-Azerbaijani relations are playing a crucial role in bringing the Turkic world closer together. The summit of Turkic state leaders held in Naxcivan last year, the results and the decisions made there have demonstrated that we must aspire to uniting the Turkic world. If we succeed in doing that, our power will be multiplied. We have the opportunities to do that – natural resources, geographic location, population. Our future is in the unity of the Turkic world. Azerbaijan and Turkey are fulfilling their mission with dignity. Turkey and Azerbaijan form the foundation of the unity in the Turkic world. This is a reality. I am sure that this ceremony will make our friendship even stronger.

The establishment of a monument to great Ataturk in the center of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, will become a remarkable event in our contemporary history. This is a triumph of Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship, a triumph of unity. This is a manifestation of the great love the Azerbaijani people have for the great leader.

I am sure that Turkish and Azerbaijani citizens will have a great time in this wonderful park. There are great conditions for residents of Baku to come and have rest here. This location was not chosen by chance. I can say that I have also contributed to the selection of this place. We have taken several factors into consideration here. First of all, we were looking for a place in the center, a historical place of Baku. At the same time, I am very pleased that the monument is close to the Turkish embassy. This is a small piece of fraternal Turkey in the center of Baku.

Let me sincerely congratulate you all, the Azerbaijani and Turkish people, on this remarkable occasion again.

I would also like to thank my dear brother for accepting my invitation and coming to Baku to take part in this beautiful ceremony. I want to assure you and the people of Azerbaijan that I will continue doing my best to maintain Turkish-Azerbaijani relations at a high level. I will keep making every effort to strengthen the Turkish-Azerbaijani unity and ensure that our peoples cooperate with each other even more closely.

Dear friends, please accept my congratulations on this wonderful occasion again! Long live Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship and fraternity!