On the initiative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States was held in Ankara on March 16.

APA reports that the head of state Ilham Aliyev participated in the event.

The President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and other heads of state and government.

Then a joint photo was taken.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a speech and expressed his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the initiative to hold an Extraordinary Summit on "Disaster - Emergency Management and Humanitarian Aid" after the earthquake in Turkey.

Then the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who chairs the Organization of Turkic States, made a speech.

A video was shown about the consequences of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and the humanitarian aid provided to the brotherly country.

The memory of those who died as a result of the natural disaster was commemorated with a minute of silence.

Later, Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov, Chairman of the Public Consultation of the Parliament of Turkmenistan, made a speech.

The head of state made a speech at the Extraordinary Summit meeting.

Speech of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev

- My dear brother, respected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Dear heads of state and government, dear friends.

We are very saddened by the consequences of the strong earthquake that caused the death and injuries of many people in brother Turkey.

This devastating earthquake killed tens of thousands of people.

My dear brother, on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I once again express my deepest condolences to you, the families and relatives of the victims, and the brotherly people of Turkey on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, and I wish recovery to the injured.

The government and people of Azerbaijan have been mobilized to provide humanitarian aid to brother Turkey since the earthquake occurred.

940 people from Azerbaijan, including rescuers, medical personnel and volunteers, were sent to the earthquake region.

According to the number of rescuers sent to Turkey, Azerbaijan was the first among the countries of the world.

As a result of the efforts of our rescuers and doctors, 53 people were rescued from the rubble.

Also, the bodies of 780 people were found under the rubble.

Our medical personnel provided medical services to more than 3 thousand people.

To date, more than 45 million US dollars have been transferred to the bank accounts of AFAD and other humanitarian organizations.

In addition, 5320 tons of humanitarian aid was delivered to our brother Turkey.

Azerbaijan and Turkey have always been by each other's side in both happy and sad days.

It will be like this from now on.

I am sure that thanks to the leadership of my dear brother, respected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey will successfully overcome the consequences of this earthquake.

The political and moral support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Azerbaijan from the first hours to the last day of the Second Karabakh War in 2020 gave us additional strength.

At the same time, during the 44-day war, the entire Turkish people stood by Azerbaijan.

Thousands of support and congratulatory messages came from Turkey during the war and after our historical Victory.

In June 2021, the Shusha Declaration was signed between Turkey and Azerbaijan in the city of Shusha, the crown of Karabakh, and our relations were officially raised to the level of alliance.

In the last 20 years, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has traveled a great and honorable path, gained a voice in the world, and became a power center.

Today, Turkey is reckoned with and respected in the world.

Everyone in the world now sees Turkey's military strength and great successes in the field of defense industry.

During these years, ensuring continuous stability in Turkey and the development of the country is an important condition for the entire Turkic world.

The awarding of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with the Supreme Order of the Turkic World at the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States held in Samarkand in 2022 once again proves his great services in strengthening the Turkic world.

I am sure that my dear brother will make great contributions to the further strengthening of the relations established on the basis of brotherhood between our countries for many years to come.

Dear friends, during the 30-year occupation, hundreds of our cities and villages, historical and religious monuments, cemeteries were purposefully destroyed by Armenia.

Foreign experts call the destroyed city of Agdam "Hiroshima of the Caucasus".

65 out of 67 mosques in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur were destroyed by Armenians, and the remaining two were used as pig and cow sheds.

Our natural resources have been looted and the environment has been seriously damaged.

As a result of the first Karabakh war, about 4 thousand of our citizens went missing.

Almost all of them were tortured and killed.

After the liberation of our lands, we discovered mass graves in several places.

Armenia still avoids providing information about the fate of the missing Azerbaijanis.

Due to the occupation of Armenia, Azerbaijan is among the countries most contaminated with landmines in the world.

After the second Karabakh war, that is, since November 2020, about 300 Azerbaijanis have been killed or seriously injured as a result of mine explosions.

Although Armenia recognized the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan in Prague and Sochi in 2022, it still has not fully withdrawn its troops from the territories of Azerbaijan.

Illegal Armenian gangs and criminal elements remain in Karabakh.

Armenia is also evading the obligation to open the Zangezur Corridor.

Thus, Armenia grossly violates the Declaration signed on November 10, 2020 and should be held responsible for it.

After the liberation of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur from Armenian occupation in 2020, Azerbaijan is carrying out large-scale reconstruction works in these areas.

Azerbaijan is restoring life to large areas completely destroyed by Armenia.

We are building 9 new cities from scratch and more than 300 villages and towns in the first phase.

This is a rare and unprecedented model of post-conflict reconstruction by a national government with its own financial resources.

We have started the implementation of the "Great Return" program for the return of former internally displaced persons to their native lands.

In the reconstruction process, Turkish companies are actively involved in many infrastructure projects as contractors.

To date, the value of contracts signed with Turkish companies exceeds 3 billion US dollars.

My dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the liberated lands three times and went to Shusha, Fuzuli, Zangilan and Jabrayil.

Taking this opportunity, I express my gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the President of Kazakhstan Kasim-Jomart Tokayev for the school built by Uzbekistan and the creative center built by Kazakhstan in the liberated Fuzuli region.

At the same time, I would like to inform that Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Investment Fund and Azerbaijan-Kyrgyz Development Fund were recently established.

Dear colleagues, the Turkish world is not limited to the borders of the Turkish states.

The Turkic world covers a larger geography.

The number of Azerbaijanis living in the world is more than 50 million.

Only 10 million of them live in the independent Republic of Azerbaijan.

The decision of the Soviet government in November 1920 to separate Western Zangezur, our historical land, from Azerbaijan and give it to Armenia led to the geographical separation of the Turkic world.

Until 1991, all Azerbaijanis were forcibly expelled from the territory of present-day Armenia.

As in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur, Armenia destroyed our cultural heritage, mosques, and historical monuments in the territory of present-day Armenia, that is, in Western Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani public has repeatedly appealed to UNESCO to send a fact-finding mission to this country for the purpose of monitoring the cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people in present-day Armenia, and expects a positive response from UNESCO.

Our compatriots, who were subjected to ethnic cleansing in West Azerbaijan, have now united in the West Azerbaijan Community.

They set a goal of peaceful return to the historical lands.

According to the Concept of Return developed by the West Azerbaijan Community, an international agreement with an appropriate verification and guarantee mechanism and legally binding should be reached for the return of Azerbaijanis forcibly deported from the territory of current Armenia.

Just as we, as the state of Azerbaijan, will ensure the individual rights and safety of Armenian residents living in Karabakh, Armenia must also ensure the rights and safety of Western Azerbaijanis based on the principle of reciprocity.

Thank you for your attention.

XXX

Then the President of Kazakhstan Kasim-Jomart Tokayev, the President of Kyrgyzstan Sadir Japarov, the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban, the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar, the Chairman of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States, the Deputy Chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party of Turkey Binali Yıldırım and the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States. Kubanichbek Omuraliyev spoke.

Speaking later, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan and the Chairman of TDT Uzbekistan for the initiative of holding this Summit.

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev concluded the summit meeting.

In the end, the Ankara Declaration and other documents were signed.

***

15:53

On the initiative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States is being held in Ankara on March 16.

APA reports that the head of state Ilham Aliyev is participating in the event.

The President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and other heads of state and government.

Then a joint photo was taken.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a speech and expressed his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the initiative to hold an Extraordinary Summit on "Disaster - Emergency Management and Humanitarian Aid" after the earthquake in Turkey.

Then the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who chairs the Organization of Turkic States, made a speech.

A video was shown about the consequences of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and humanitarian aid to the brotherly country.

The memory of those who died as a result of the natural disaster was commemorated with a minute of silence.

Then Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov, Chairman of the Public Consultation of the Parliament of Turkmenistan, gave a speech.

The head of state made a speech at the Extraordinary Summit meeting.

Speech of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev

- My dear brother, respected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Dear heads of state and government, dear friends.

We are very saddened by the consequences of the strong earthquake that caused the death and injuries of many people in brother Turkey.

This devastating earthquake killed tens of thousands of people.

My dear brother, on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I once again express my deepest condolences to you, the families and relatives of the victims, and the brotherly people of Turkey on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, and I wish recovery to the injured.

The government and people of Azerbaijan have been mobilized to provide humanitarian aid to brother Turkey since the earthquake occurred.

940 people from Azerbaijan, including rescuers, medical personnel and volunteers, were sent to the earthquake region.

According to the number of rescuers sent to Turkey, Azerbaijan was the first among the countries of the world.

As a result of the efforts of our rescuers and doctors, 53 people were rescued from the rubble.

Also, the bodies of 780 people were found under the rubble.

Our medical personnel provided medical services to more than 3 thousand people.

To date, more than 45 million US dollars have been transferred to the bank accounts of AFAD and other humanitarian organizations.

In addition, 5320 tons of humanitarian aid was delivered to our brother Turkey.

Azerbaijan and Turkey have always been by each other's side in both happy and sad days.

It will be like this from now on.

I am sure that thanks to the leadership of my dear brother, respected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey will successfully overcome the consequences of this earthquake.

The political and moral support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Azerbaijan from the first hours to the last day of the Second Karabakh War in 2020 gave us additional strength.

At the same time, during the 44-day war, the entire Turkish people stood by Azerbaijan.

Thousands of support and congratulatory messages came from Turkey during the war and after our historical Victory.

In June 2021, the Shusha Declaration was signed between Turkey and Azerbaijan in the city of Shusha, the crown of Karabakh, and our relations were officially raised to the level of alliance.

In the last 20 years, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has traveled a great and honorable path, gained a voice in the world, and became a power center.

Today, Turkey is reckoned with and respected in the world.

Everyone in the world now sees Turkey's military strength and great successes in the field of defense industry.

During these years, ensuring continuous stability in Turkey and the development of the country is an important condition for the entire Turkic world.

The awarding of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with the Supreme Order of the Turkic World at the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States held in Samarkand in 2022 once again proves his great services in strengthening the Turkic world.

I am sure that my dear brother will make great contributions to the further strengthening of the relations established on the basis of brotherhood between our countries for many years to come.

Dear friends, during the 30-year occupation, hundreds of our cities and villages, historical and religious monuments, cemeteries were purposefully destroyed by Armenia.

Foreign experts call the destroyed city of Agdam "Hiroshima of the Caucasus".

65 out of 67 mosques in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur were destroyed by Armenians, and the remaining two were used as pig and cow sheds.

Our natural resources have been looted and the environment has been seriously damaged.

As a result of the first Karabakh war, about 4 thousand of our citizens went missing.

Almost all of them were tortured and killed.

After the liberation of our lands, we discovered mass graves in several places.

Armenia still avoids providing information about the fate of the missing Azerbaijanis.

Due to the occupation of Armenia, Azerbaijan is among the countries most contaminated with landmines in the world.

After the second Karabakh war, that is, since November 2020, about 300 Azerbaijanis have been killed or seriously injured as a result of mine explosions.

Although Armenia recognized the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan in Prague and Sochi in 2022, it still has not fully withdrawn its troops from the territories of Azerbaijan.

Illegal Armenian gangs and criminal elements remain in Karabakh.

Armenia is also evading the obligation to open the Zangezur Corridor.

Thus, Armenia grossly violates the Declaration signed on November 10, 2020 and should be held responsible for it.

After the liberation of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur from Armenian occupation in 2020, Azerbaijan is carrying out large-scale reconstruction works in these areas.

Azerbaijan is restoring life to large areas completely destroyed by Armenia.

We are building 9 new cities from scratch and more than 300 villages and towns in the first phase.

This is a rare and unprecedented model of post-conflict reconstruction by a national government with its own financial resources.

We have started the implementation of the "Great Return" program for the return of former internally displaced persons to their native lands.

In the reconstruction process, Turkish companies are actively involved in many infrastructure projects as contractors.

To date, the value of contracts signed with Turkish companies exceeds 3 billion US dollars.

My dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the liberated lands three times and went to Shusha, Fuzuli, Zangilan and Jabrayil.

Taking this opportunity, I express my gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the President of Kazakhstan Kasim-Jomart Tokayev for the school built by Uzbekistan and the creative center built by Kazakhstan in the liberated Fuzuli region.

At the same time, I would like to inform that Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Investment Fund and Azerbaijan-Kyrgyz Development Fund were recently established.

Dear colleagues, the Turkish world is not limited to the borders of the Turkish states.

The Turkic world covers a larger geography.

The number of Azerbaijanis living in the world is more than 50 million.

Only 10 million of them live in the independent Republic of Azerbaijan.

The decision of the Soviet government in November 1920 to separate Western Zangezur, our historical land, from Azerbaijan and give it to Armenia led to the geographical separation of the Turkic world.

Until 1991, all Azerbaijanis were forcibly expelled from the territory of present-day Armenia.

As in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur, Armenia destroyed our cultural heritage, mosques, and historical monuments in the territory of present-day Armenia, that is, in Western Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani public has repeatedly appealed to UNESCO to send a fact-finding mission to this country for the purpose of monitoring the cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people in present-day Armenia, and expects a positive response from UNESCO.

Our compatriots, who were subjected to ethnic cleansing in West Azerbaijan, have now united in the West Azerbaijan Community.

They set a goal of peaceful return to the historical lands.

According to the Concept of Return developed by the West Azerbaijan Community, an international agreement with an appropriate verification and guarantee mechanism and legally binding should be reached for the return of Azerbaijanis forcibly deported from the territory of current Armenia.

Just as we, as the state of Azerbaijan, will ensure the individual rights and safety of Armenian residents living in Karabakh, Armenia must also ensure the rights and safety of Western Azerbaijanis based on the principle of reciprocity.

Thank you for your attention.

XXX

It should be noted that this event was planned to be held in Shusha.

However, in connection with the terrible earthquake that occurred in Turkey, President Ilham Aliyev made a proposal to hold the Summit in Ankara in order to support the brotherly country.

After consultation with the heads of other participating countries, a relevant decision was made.

This is once again a clear example of Azerbaijan-Turkey brotherhood, mutual support and respect in the Turkic world.

The Summit dedicated to the theme "Disaster - Emergency Management and Humanitarian Aid" is a platform where issues related to the emergency situation caused by the earthquake in the southern and southeastern regions of Turkey are discussed at the highest level.

The leaders will draw attention to the establishment of multilateral close cooperation and coordination mechanisms within the Organization of Turkic States in the fight against disasters, and will hold consultations regarding the current challenges in the region.

***

14:09

On the initiative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States is being held in Ankara on March 16.

APA reports that the head of state Ilham Aliyev is participating in the event.

The President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and other heads of state and government.

Then a joint photo was taken.

XXX

It should be noted that this event was planned to be held in Shusha.

However, in connection with the terrible earthquake that occurred in Turkey, President Ilham Aliyev made a proposal to hold the Summit in Ankara in order to support the brotherly country.

After consultation with the heads of other participating countries, a relevant decision was made.

This is once again a clear example of Azerbaijan-Turkey brotherhood, mutual support and respect in the Turkic world.


The Summit dedicated to the theme "Disaster - Emergency Management and Humanitarian Aid" is a platform where issues related to the emergency situation caused by the earthquake in the southern and southeastern regions of Turkey are discussed at the highest level.

The leaders will draw attention to the establishment of multilateral close cooperation and coordination mechanisms within the Organization of Turkic States in the fight against disasters, and will hold consultations regarding the current challenges in the region.

***

13:34

The Extraordinary Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (TST) is starting in Ankara, the capital of Turkey.

The local office of APA reports that before the Summit held at the proposal of Azerbaijan, the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, welcomes the guests one by one.

Later, a family photo will be taken.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is visiting Ankara to participate in the summit meeting.

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