Speech by Ilham Aliyev at the opening ceremony of the Rize-Artvin Airport

My dear and esteemed brother, dear President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

My dear brothers and sisters, dear friends.

I am delighted to be revisiting brotherly Turkiye. I sincerely greet all my Turkish brothers and express warm greetings from Azerbaijan.

First of all, I would like to thank my dear brother, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for inviting me to this ceremony. I sincerely congratulate you on opening this beautiful airport.

The opening of this airport is a manifestation of splendid and successful development taking place in Turkiye. Brotherly Turkiye is growing stronger day by day. All this is underpinned by the policy pursued and tremendous work of my dear brother. Turkiye today has not only become a major powerhouse in the world. This country has a say, and it is also capable of implementing major projects in the country. Among them, I would like to mention projects that specifically serve people. Airports, water reservoirs, roads, bridges, schools, and hospitals are factors that show the development and strength of Turkiye, and at the heart of all this is the human factor and public policy.

It is a great pleasure for me to be alongside you today. Today, the participation of the President of Azerbaijan in this wonderful ceremony is yet another manifestation of the Turkish-Azerbaijani unity. We are always together – in good times, in pleasant times, in difficult times, and the second Karabakh war once again showed it to the whole world. From the first hours to the last day of the war, my brother was with us, and so were the brotherly Turkish people.

The second Karabakh war is our common glorious history, and we have put an end to 30 years of occupation. On the first day of the war, the words of the President, my dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan that "Azerbaijan is not alone and that Turkiye is with Azerbaijan," sent a serious message to many. Until the last minute of the war, until our flag was hoisted in Shusha, Turkiye was with us, Turkiye was behind us, Turkiye supported us, and the Azerbaijani people will never forget this brotherhood.

Today, we are together working side by side in the reconstruction of Karabakh. Many Turkish companies, including the company that built this miraculously beautiful airport, are also engaged in the restoration of Karabakh. Today, thousands of our Turkish brothers are doing their part in restoring Karabakh in Azerbaijan.

We are the closest countries in the world, and our countries have passed great tests together. Last year, the signing of the Joint Declaration between Turkiye and Azerbaijan in our ancient and historical city of Shusha raised our relations to an alliance level. We are friends, brothers and now officially allies. This policy is the legacy of our ancestors, the will of our ancestors, and we are committed to this will.

Dear friends, dear brothers. It is my first time in Rize, and I have heard plenty about this land. While coming here by plane, watching these beautiful sights from the window and already seeing them firsthand, I told my dear brother that this place looks like a paradise. The beautiful and charming nature of Rize, Artvin and the Black Sea region is a great wealth. However, the most significant wealth is the people of this region – brave, patriotic, courageous people, the guardians of the Turkish Republic. Long live these people!

Today, I am in my brother's country and my own country. Rize gave the Turkish world a great leader, my brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We are grateful to you for that, and the whole Turkish world is proud of you.

Dear friends, brothers and sisters, I once again congratulate you on this wonderful event, the airport's opening. Long live, Rize! Long live Turkiye! Long live the Turkish-Azerbaijani unity!