Speech by Ilham Aliyev at the TEKNOFEST Festival in Istanbul

- Dear Mr. President, my dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan, dear Mrs. Emine Erdogan, dear friends.

I am delighted to be visiting your brotherly country again. I have brought you the sincere greetings on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan. A year ago, the TEKNOFEST Festival was held in Baku, and we participated in TEKNOFEST with my dear brother. Today I am here. This once again shows that Türkiye and Azerbaijan are always together. Türkiye and Azerbaijan are friendly and brotherly countries.

At the same time, Türkiye and Azerbaijan officially became allies after the signing of the Shusha Declaration two years ago. The signing of that historic Declaration in Shusha, the crown jewel of Karabakh, has a special significance. Shusha is a dear city for the Azerbaijani people and a beloved city of the entire Turkic world.
As a result of the liberation of Shusha from occupation, Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity. Türkiye, its President and the brotherly Turkish people were always by our side.

From the very first to the last minutes of the Second Karabakh War, my dear brother President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was with us. His statements and messages expressed unequivocal support for Azerbaijan. He said that Azerbaijan was not alone, that Türkiye was with Azerbaijan, and this gave us additional strength and boosted our morale.

Türkiye has covered a long and glorious road in the last 20 years. Under the leadership of the Honorable President, Türkiye has become a voice in the world and a guarantor of peace, stability and security in our region. Türkiye has played a great role in unifying the great Turkic world. At the Summit of Turkic States held in Ankara last month, all Turkic states expressed their support, their respect and our common solidarity with my dear brother. The Turkic world has great geography, great potential, plentiful natural resources, and significant military power. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made historic contributions to the unification of the Turkic world.

Today, Türkiye is the trade, energy, transport and political center of Eurasia. The importance and role of Türkiye are growing day by day. Türkiye’s strong industry strengthens both Türkiye itself and its allies. The Turkish army is among the leading armies in the world today.

Türkiye’s defense industry is recognized by the whole world today. The most developed, modern, and advanced defense industry strengthens both Türkiye and us. This will ensure the security of Türkiye for many years to come.

While participating in TEKNOFEST today, I would like to emphasize the contributions of our dear brother Selcuk Bayraktar, the founder of TEKNOFEST. Selcuk bey has visited Azerbaijan many times, including the liberated lands, Shusha. During his last visit, on April 3, when he was in Azerbaijan, we talked about future cooperation and agreed on the establishment of the Bayraktar center in Azerbaijan. Inshallah, the Bayraktar center will be established in Azerbaijan soon, and there will be training, maintenance and production there. While in Baku, Mr. Selcuk presented us with a model of Kizilelma as a gift. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all our brothers on Kizilelma, and I do hope that Kizilelma will be in the skies of Azerbaijan in the near future. Kizilelma in the air, Altay and Togg on the ground, Anatolia at sea – this is today's Türkiye.

In a few days, the Azerbaijani people will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Heydar Aliyev, the founder of the modern Azerbaijan state. Heydar Aliyev said that “Türkiye and Azerbaijan are one nation in two states.” Today we are proving that. The souls of all our fathers and forefathers are happy because Türkiye and Azerbaijan are together. As my father said, “One nation in two states,” and I want to add to that – like “One fist”!

I am visiting the brotherly country for the third time this year. I was here in February, then I was here in March, and I am here again today. My dear brother, the turn is yours. We are waiting for you. All the people of Azerbaijan are waiting for you, sending their embrace and conveying their respect and love to you. Türkiye-Azerbaijan union is eternal!