'Erdogan put his stamp on history of Azerbaijan'

IZMIR, Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan put his stamp on the history of Azerbaijan and his positive contributions will never be forgotten, the head of the World Azerbaijani Congress said Thursday.

“Since the beginning of the Patriotic War of Azerbaijan on Sept. 27, Turkey took side with Azerbaijan morally and politically,” said Asif Kurban.

Kurban said the Azerbaijani people trust the Turkish Army like their own army, and the rehearsals of Turkish commandoes on the streets of Baku for the victory parade were met with great interest and love.

“Erdogan stood by Azerbaijan at the highest political level and did not leave it alone for a moment. He followed the developments personally. He regularly discussed matters with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.

“Just as we remember what happened 100 years ago which passed into history, centuries will pass and future generations will respectfully remember President Erdogan and his team,” he said.

President Erdogan attended the victory parade Thursday in the capital Baku as the guest of honor.

Karabakh conflict

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the 44 days of heavy fighting, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from occupation.

The two countries signed a Russia-brokered truce on Nov. 10 to end the war and work toward a comprehensive resolution.

The truce is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces have been withdrawing in line with the agreement.