Foreign Minister Fidan meets with Azerbaijani President in Shusha

In Shusha, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met on Friday to discuss their relations with their common neighbor Armenia, according to a statement from the Azerbaijani Presidency.

Turkish and Azerbaijani relations with Armenia have historically been strained, but recent years have shown potential for improvement. The meeting emphasized the ongoing trilateral engagements involving Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Pakistan, referencing a recent summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The statement highlighted the significance of the 2021 Shusha Declaration, which plays a pivotal role in the close relations between Azerbaijan and Türkiye, particularly in Shusha, a city recently liberated from decades of Armenian occupation.

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the positive development of fraternal, friendly, and allied relations across various sectors, emphasizing unity and solidarity within the Turkic world.

Fidan’s visit to Shusha coincided with a two-day informal summit of heads of state of the Organization of Turkic States. Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz represented the country at the summit, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in Germany to attend Türkiye’s football match against the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 Championship.