Türkiye commemorates Azerbaijan's Victory Day

ISTANBUL

Türkiye on Wednesday marked Azerbaijan's Victory Day on the third anniversary of the liberation of a key city in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

"On the third anniversary of Karabakh's liberation, we enthusiastically celebrate the Victory Day of our dear Azerbaijani brothers and sisters," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on X.

"In this pursuit, we remember our heroic martyrs and veterans with gratitude."

Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun remembered all the "heroes of Karabakh's struggle for freedom" with reverence and respect.

"I celebrate the Victory Day of our friendly and brotherly country, Azerbaijan, which achieved a glorious victory and wrote an epic story in Karabakh three years ago on Nov. 8," he said on X.

"Our strong brotherhood, reinforced by the motto, 'One Nation, Two States,' will continue to defy the centuries," he added.

Most of the Karabakh region, which had been under Armenian occupation for nearly three decades, was liberated by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement and also opened the door to normalization with Yerevan.

On Nov. 8, the Azerbaijani army liberated the city of Shusha, which was later declared as Victory Day by a presidential decree.

Initially, Victory Day was to be celebrated on Nov. 10, the day of the end of the Second Karabakh War, but this was later changed due to coinciding with the anniversary of the passing of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye.