‘Turkey is our brother. Turkey is our great ally. The Azerbaijani people are very pleased that they have such an ally as Turkey,’ Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said, speaking at the virtual Summit of Economic Cooperation Economic Cooperation Organisation.
‘The peoples of Azerbaijan and Turkey, and I am sure many in the world are openly aware of the historical role of President Erdogan not only in turning Turkey into one of the most important centres of power in the world, but also in ensuring security in the region. Turkey plays a very important role in ensuring security and stability in the region. I have said a lot before, and now I want to say again that a strong Turkey means a strong Azerbaijan and strong all other allies,’ the President of Azerbaijan said.
‘I would like to once again express my gratitude to my dear brothers, President Erdogan, President Ashraf Ghani, Prime Minister Imran Khan for warm congratulations on the victory and restoration of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,’ said Ilham Aliyev.
The head of state stressed that during the occupation, Armenia had been deliberately destroying the villages and cities of Azerbaijan in the occupied territories, all cultural and religious monuments.
‘Our mosques have become places for keeping pigs and cows. Photos and videos of all this are on the Internet. This is hostility towards the entire Islamic world. The facts of deliberate destruction and insult of the cultural and religious heritage of the Azerbaijani people were reflected by representatives of international media. Attempts by Armenia, which offend the feelings of all Muslims, to expand its ties with Muslim countries are nothing more than hypocrisy,’ said the President.
Ilham Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan made a valuable contribution to solidarity between Muslim countries.
‘We called on the Islamic countries to unity from different international tribunes. Azerbaijan strongly condemns the linking of the Islamic religion with violence and terrorism. We must fight Islamophobia and promote the true values of Islam – peace, tolerance and justice. In this sense, we welcome the decision of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to declare March 15 the International Day against Islamophobia on the initiative of brotherly Pakistan,’ said the head of state.
‘We are thinking about the future now. We began to discuss transport projects that unite many countries to ensure peace and stability in the region. Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran demonstrate a common position regarding the implementation of transport projects in the region. Armenia can also benefit from this process if it behaves normally,’ Ilham Aliyev stressed.
