President Ilham Aliyev’s participation in the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States

On March 16, upon 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. During his participation in the event, the head of state Ilham Aliyev extended deep condolences on behalf of the Azerbaijani people to the brotherly Turkish nation, to the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives and were injured due to the powerful earthquake in Türkiye and prayed for the recovery of the injured.

During his address, President Ilham Aliyev also touched upon the vandalism committed by Armenians during the First Karabakh War and the 30-year occupation period, emphasized Armenia’s violation of the November 10, 2020 Statement, delaying the opening of the Zangezur corridor, and the continued presence of illegal Armenian troops and criminal elements in Karabakh, highlighted Azerbaijan’s extensive reconstruction efforts in these territories following the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur from Armenian occupation in 2020, including the establishment of 9 new cities from scratch and over 300 villages and settlements in previously devastated areas, also noted the initiation of the “Great Return” program aimed at facilitating the return of former IDPs to their native lands.