President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held expanded meeting with President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has held an expanded meeting with President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Greeting President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said:

- We are very pleased with your state visit. I am delighted that you are visiting Azerbaijan shortly after the presidential election. I want to congratulate you once again on the victory and wish you continued success. I am sure that in the coming years our friendship and brotherhood will be at the same high level.

We already discussed many issues during our private meeting today. Now it will be continued within the framework of delegations. The Türkiye-Azerbaijan unity and brotherhood are an international factor, a factor of stability, development and security. The Turkish people's trust in you in the presidential elections is a sign of appreciation for your services to the Turkish people for many years. You know that you are very much loved in Azerbaijan. You are our dear guest.

I also want to sincerely congratulate the new government members. I know many of you. Yesterday, our ministers and other high-level officials were together, and today these contacts are continuing. As always, our meetings summarize the work done and at the same time draw a roadmap for the work to be done in the coming years. I am sure it will be the same this time too. Welcome again!

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said:

- Dear Mr. President, my dear brother.

Dear members of the delegation.

I am greeting you with my most sincere feelings on behalf of myself and my delegation. After the being re-elected as president by the will of our nation, according to our usual tradition, we first visited Northern Cyprus and then we immediately came to Baku and are together with you. I express my sincere gratitude on behalf of myself and my delegation for the hospitality you have shown.

The Turkish-Azerbaijani brotherhood is observed with envy all over the world. We saw the last example of this during the earthquake disaster in Türkiye. The government and people of Azerbaijan shared our pain as their own and immediately sent a team to the earthquake-hit region. On behalf of myself and my nation, I am personally grateful to every citizen of Azerbaijan whose heart beats with us.

We are determined to develop our relations, which we have raised to the level of alliance with the Shusha Declaration, in all areas. We are ready to open our Consulate General in Shusha at your convenience. Mr. Hakan, if our Consulate General in Shusha can be opened at any moment without any delay, this will of course be a separate message to the whole world, especially Armenia.

Our Education Foundation continues its activities in the field of education with the support of Azerbaijani institutions. Inshallah, next year we plan to put the new educational building of our school into use.

In our one-to-one meeting with my dear brother, it would be useful to discuss the Middle Corridor across the Caspian Sea and, in this regard, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.