ANKARA
Azerbaijan hosted a traditional horse-mounted competition of Turkic countries in its capital Baku on Tuesday.
Azad Rehimov, Azerbaijan’s sports and youth minister, and Culture Minister Ebulfes Garayev attended the Presidential Cup tournament of chovgan -- a game similar to polo -- while World Ethnosport Confederation head Bilal Erdogan and Ibrahim Eren, the head of Turkish Radio and Television (TRT), were guests of honor from Turkey.
Erdogan said he was happy to see Azerbaijan working to preserve its traditional sports, adding that the country has successfully hosted many international sports events.
"Today chovgan is not a common game in Anatolia, but the development of this sport in Azerbaijan will ensure its recognition in Turkey,” he explained.
“Solidarity between the traditional sports of both countries will strengthen the fellowship and friendship of our two societies."
Erdogan said he hoped God would bless of collaboration of the two nations under the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
After the competition, players of the winning team waved Azerbaijani and Turkish flags to the adoring crowd.
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