Azerbaijani premier says Shusha Declaration is 'pinnacle of ties' with Türkiye

By Tolga Ozgenc and Harun Kutbe

BAKU/SHUSHA, Azerbaijan (AA) - The landmark Shusha Declaration, signed by Ankara and Baku to take bilateral relations to the level of alliance, is the "pinnacle of ties," the Azerbaijani prime minister said on Saturday.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay in Shusha, Ali Asadov recalled the liberation of the city in November 2020 from nearly 30 years of Armenian occupation.

Touching on the Türkiye-Azerbaijan relations, he noted that the declaration raised ties between the two countries to the level of strategic alliance.

"We are grateful to President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan and the Turkish people who stood by the Azerbaijani state and people from the first days of the 44-day war of the homeland. We will never forget this support," added Asadov.

For his part, Oktay also reiterated Türkiye's support to Azerbaijan by mentioning the strategic relations between Ankara and Baku.

"Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, which is of great importance for the Turkic world, also has a special place in bilateral ties between Türkiye and Azerbaijan, which are 'one nation, two states," he stated.

Meanwhile, Oktay underlined that the Shusha Declaration, shows the crowning of relations with Azerbaijan.

"Declaration of Shusha on the Relations of Alliance Between the Republic of Türkiye and the Republic of Azerbaijan" was signed by the presidents of the two countries on June 15, 2021 in Shusha in Karabakh, Azerbaijan.

The declaration is the first document signed between Ankara and Baku which includes the word "alliance."