Aliyev says Türkiye, Azerbaijan share unmatched ties

BAzerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday said Türkiye and Azerbaijan have the closest relations, and no two other nations share the same level of political, economic, energy, connectivity and people-to-people cooperation.

Answering a question from Anadolu's Editor-in-Chief Yusuf Ozhan at the fourth Shusha Global Media Forum, Aliyev stressed relations between Ankara and Baku are also an important element in terms of regional stability and cooperation.

Aliyev said the Shusha Declaration signed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on June 15, 2021 elevated relations "to the level of alliance." “So, we are not only brothers and friends; we are allies.”

Aliyev said shared ethnicity, language or religion alone does not guarantee close relations, noting that countries with similar backgrounds have fought each other in the past.

“The example of Türkiye and Azerbaijan is one which should be examined and followed by neighbors. The neighbors should behave exactly as Türkiye and Azerbaijan,” he said.

Aliyev also highlighted Azerbaijan's growing role as a regional transit hub, saying cargo traffic has increased because of the situation in the Middle East.

He said Azerbaijan is expanding the capacity of its Caspian Sea commercial port from 15 million to 25 million tons, and building 10 ships to meet rising demand for cargo transportation from and to Europe.