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Azerbaijan marks 104th anniversary of Baku's liberation [PHOTO]

16 September 2022 11:42 (UTC+04:00)
Azerbaijan marks 104th anniversary of Baku's liberation [PHOTO]

By Sabina Mammadli

As Azerbaijan marks the 104th anniversary of Baku's liberation from the Bolshevik-Dashnak occupation, the Turkish embassy honors the memory of the soldiers of the Caucasus Islamic Army.

In this regard, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagchi and embassy staff visited the monument to Turkish soldiers in Baku and paid tribute to the memory of Turkish soldiers, who died during the liberation of the city.

"On the occasion of the 104th anniversary of the liberation of Baku, we came here to honor the memory of the heroic soldiers of the Caucasus Islamic Army. The soldiers of the Ottoman army, who fought against the strongest armies on many fronts of the First World War, also fought shoulder to shoulder with their brothers against the invaders - Bolsheviks and Dashnaks, who gave their lives for the independence of Azerbaijan," Bagci said.

He recalled that the Turkish soldiers fought heroically under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s motto: ​​"The joy of Azerbaijan is our joy, its sorrow is our sorrow. They are the architects of indestructible relations of brotherhood between Türkiye and Azerbaijan".

The ambassador added that the equality and brotherhood of both countries are built on such solid foundations.

“Their sacrifice became a source of inspiration in the liberation of Karabakh, which was under Armenian occupation for almost 30 years. We respectfully honor the memory of all Azerbaijani heroes and martyrs. May their souls rest in peace!" the ambassador noted.

Quoting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s words, Bagchi stressed that the 'Iron Fist' is in place.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also shared a publication on the occasion, expressing his congratulations.

"We, as before, will stand by our Azerbaijani brothers in their just struggle," the president said on Twitter.

Additionally, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu congratulated the people of the two nations on the historic liberation.

"We extend our congratulations on the 104th anniversary of Baku's liberation from occupation and honor the memory of our heroic martyrs. Türkiye and Azerbaijan have always been one voice and one heart," the minister wrote on Twitter.

The Caucasus Islamic Army led by Turkish commander Nuru Pasha together with the newly-formed Azerbaijani National Army and volunteers liberated Baku from the Armenian and Bolshevik occupation on September 15 in 1918.

Approximately 8,000 Turkish soldiers and up to 7,000 Azerbaijani local forces were involved in a decisive offensive to free Baku.

News about the liberation of Baku was published in the first issue of Azerbaijan on September 5 in Ganja: "Telegram of the commander of the Islamic Army of the Caucasus led by Nuru Pasha to the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic: "Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim! At 0900 on September 15, 1918, the city of Baku was liberated by units of our heroic army."

Following the liberation, Baku was declared the capital of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic, which became the first democratic republic in the Muslim East.

In all, 1,132 fighters of the Caucasus Islamic Army were martyred during the liberation of Baku.

The liberation of Baku - is an event of exceptional importance for the Azerbaijani-Turkish friendship and brotherhood. Despite the fact that for 70 years of Soviet power this event was purposefully presented in an erroneous context, the Azerbaijani people never forgot the heroism of Turkish soldiers.

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Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SabinaMmdl

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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Azerbaijan marks 104th anniversary of Baku's liberation [PHOTO] - Gallery Image
Azerbaijan marks 104th anniversary of Baku's liberation [PHOTO] - Gallery Image
Azerbaijan marks 104th anniversary of Baku's liberation [PHOTO] - Gallery Image
Azerbaijan marks 104th anniversary of Baku's liberation [PHOTO] - Gallery Image
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