Turkish President Erdogan congratulates Azerbaijan’s Aliyev over reelection win

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT BY TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY, VICE PRESIDENT

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday spoke to his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and congratulated him on his election victory, Türkiye's Communications Directorate said.

President Erdogan hoped Aliyev's reelection as president would be auspicious for Azerbaijan.

In a separate statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry also expressed satisfaction over the peaceful conduct of the electoral process.

"We wish that the result of the presidential elections held today (February 7) will be auspicious for brotherly Azerbaijan," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry underscored its satisfaction with the peaceful conduct of the elections across all regions of Azerbaijan, including areas liberated from occupation.

“We appreciate the prudence demonstrated by the people of Azerbaijan during the electoral process."

In separate remarks, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz also congratulated Aliyev, underlining that the two nations will "continue marching to the future in a stronger, more stable and determined manner with the motto of 'One nation, two states'."

"I congratulate Mr. Ilham Aliyev, who was reelected president with the support of the Azerbaijani people in the presidential election held today in Azerbaijan, and I wish that the elections will bring good to the brotherly Azerbaijani people and our region," Yilmaz said on X.

Aliyev was reelected Wednesday in an early presidential election with 92.1% of the vote. His closest competitor, independent candidate Zahid Oruj, received 2.2%.

About 6.5 million people were eligible to vote, including those abroad.

The last presidential election, which is held every seven years, was April 11, 2018. A decree signed by Aliyev late last year moved the vote forward from an initial date in October 2025.