Turkish Republic’s 90th anniversary marked in Baku
By Sara Rajabova
Turkish embassy in Baku organized an official reception on the occasion of the Turkish Republic's 90th anniversary in the Azerbaijani capital on October 29.
After the sounding of the national anthems of the two countries, Turkish Ambassador Ismail Alper Coskun spoke about Turkey's struggle for independence under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and the path of the country's development.
Ambassador Coskun said Turkey's strides in the political, economic and military spheres as well as in democracy and human rights have strengthened its standing in the region and the world.
Stressing the special role of the heads of states and governments in the development of bilateral relations, Coskun said mutual visits, negotiations and the numerous signed documents have made it possible to continue maintaining the friendly and brotherly relations between the two countries and nations at the highest level.
Coskun said Azerbaijani national leader Heydar Aliyev played a great role in the strengthening of fraternal relations between the two countries.
He also said that as a result of the successful policy pursued by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev Azerbaijan has become a leading country in the region.
Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Coskun stressed the importance of liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories as soon as possible.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
Coskun said that this issue is not only a problem of Azerbaijan, but also that of Turkey and the Turkic world and Turkey always stands by the brotherly Azerbaijan.
The mentioned event was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov, government officials, MPs, heads of the diplomatic missions to Azerbaijan, political experts, Turkish businessmen, as well as representatives of the public.
In a speech at the event, Sharifov congratulated the attendees and the people of Turkey on behalf of President Aliyev and wished prosperity and success to the brotherly country.
Speaking about the current relations between the two countries, Sharifov noted the close cooperation in the fields of science, education, economy, culture and the military.
He emphasized that Turkey was the first country to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan.
Sharifov also said that both countries support each other within international organizations and appreciated Turkey's position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The Turkish Republic Day anniversary highlights the proclamation of the Turkish Republic in 1923. The official recognition of the Turkish Republic took place on Oct. 29, 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. On that day, the new name of the nation and its status as a republic were declared.
After the declaration and a vote in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Ataturk, a revolutionary statesman and founder of the Turkish Republic, was unanimously elected as the first president of the Republic of Turkey. Since then, Turkey celebrates its Republic Day every year on October 29.