Aliyev and Erdoկan reaffirm strategic alliance during visit to occupied Shushi

SHUSHI — Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoկan in occupied Shushi on November 8, marking the sixth anniversary of Azerbaijan’s military victory in the 2020 Artsakh war and reaffirming the strategic partnership between Ankara and Baku.

The Turkish president received an official welcome before holding bilateral discussions with Aliyev. The two leaders subsequently delivered joint statements and visited Shushi Fortress and commemorative sites in Stepanakert.

Aliyev described the alliance between the two countries as unshakable, recalling Türkiye’s support during the 44-day war against Armenia and Artsakh.

Erdoկan highlighted the 2021 Shushi Declaration, which formalized their strategic alliance, and reiterated Ankara’s support for Azerbaijan’s policies and efforts toward what the two governments describe as regional peace.

The visit occurred on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the November 9, 2020, ceasefire agreement. Three years after that agreement, Azerbaijan’s September 2023 offensive resulted in the forced displacement of more than 120,000 Artsakh Armenians.

While Türkiye and Azerbaijan continue to consolidate their political and military cooperation, Baku is maintaining its demand for constitutional changes in Armenia before signing a peace agreement with Yerevan.

Armenian opposition forces reject the demand as unacceptable interference in the country’s sovereign affairs and warn that further concessions would not necessarily produce lasting peace.

The ceremonies in Shushi also highlighted unresolved questions involving displaced Artsakh Armenians, Armenian hostages held in Baku and the preservation of Armenian historical and religious heritage under Azerbaijani control.

The timing and location of the visit underscored the profound consequences of the 2020 war and the continuing imbalance in regional security arrangements.