President Ilham Aliyev has sent a letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Axar.az presents the text of the letter:

Dear Mr. President,

My dear Brother,

It is with deep respect and reverence that I commemorate the dear memory of our brothers and sisters who perished in the devastating earthquake that struck Turkiye two years ago, praying to Almighty Allah to rest their souls in peace and to give patience to their relatives and loved ones.

Azerbaijan shares the pain of this tragedy with brotherly Turkiye and experiences its sorrow together. As always, Azerbaijan stood by Turkiye in those difficult days, united around brotherly Turkiye at all levels from the first minutes of the news of the earhtquake, and provided all necessary support and assistance. In those challenging times, the hearts of all Azerbaijani people were beating in unison with Turkiye.

Today, under your leadership, the strong and powerful Turkish state is carrying out large-scale construction work to eliminate the consequences of the disaster, restore life and the economy in the affected region, and provide new homes and jobs for people. As part of our brotherhood and loyalty, we feel great pride and honor that Azerbaijan, in turn, is standing shoulder to shoulder with Turkiye by contributing to the ongoing reconstruction and restoration efforts in Kahramanmaras province.

Based on the principle of “One nation, two states,” our countries and peoples support each other both in moments of joy and sorrow, proving their brotherhood by supporting each other in difficult times. This has always been the case and will continue to be so.

I am confident that our unity and strategic alliance, which have withstood the test of time, and are bound by unbreakable ties of our peoples’ will, will always endure. We will continue our joint efforts to achieve the goals we have set for the prosperity and tranquility of our nations.

On this day of remembrance, on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my deep condolences to you, to the families and loved ones of the victims, and to the fraternal people of Turkiye.

Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan