Ilham Aliyev met with ninth President of Turkey, Suleyman Demirel

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with the ninth President of the Republic of Turkey, Suleyman Demirel.

President Ilham Aliyev said:

- I cordially greet you. I sincerely wish you a happy birthday. I am glad that you mark this date in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is your homeland. The people of Azerbaijan like you very much. You and your brother President Heydar Aliyev have made a huge effort and done a lot for the development of Turkish-Azerbaijani relations. I can say that you have laid the foundation of Turkish-Azerbaijani relations. Today, our relations are developing on this strong foundation. Together with President of Heydar Aliyev, you raised Turkish-Azerbaijani relations to the highest peak.

I remember that during the most difficult period for Azerbaijan you always stood by our people.

Together with Heydar Aliyev you opened the "Umid" bridge between Turkey and Azerbaijan. You were the architect of this bridge. All these are wonderful moments that will live in the hearts of the people of Azerbaijan as unforgettable memories. At a later stage, you, along with Heydar Aliyev, made great efforts for the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. Today, it ensures the existence of a large pipeline corridor.

Dear Mr. President, I welcome you to Azerbaijan. I want to say again that I am very glad that you are marking this date in Azerbaijan and that we are celebrating it together.

For your outstanding contributions to the development of Turkish-Azerbaijani relations you are being awarded with a high order of Azerbaijan - the "Sharaf" Order. Please allow me to present this high award to you.

President Ilham Aliyev presented the "Sharaf" Order to Suleyman Demirel.

The ninth President of Turkey, Suleyman Demirel, said:

- Thank you very much! You have received me with great love, sent your plane that has brought me here. Today's Turkish newspapers have reported about this great news. They emphasize that it is a sign of a great friendship. Our friendship and brotherhood, the foundation of which was laid by one of the geniuses of our brotherly countries and of the great Turkic nation, of the Turks living in Anatolia and Azerbaijan, by my dear brother Heydar Aliyev, will live forever. The dictum of the late Heydar Aliyev "one nation in two states" has been and will continue to be confirmed in life.

The development we have seen here is the result of your serious efforts. This development has been possible thanks to your strong leadership. It gives us joy and happiness. All what we see here delights us as if it were happening in our homeland. Therefore, I express a feeling of happiness to come here again.

Indeed, your country has experienced positive innovations of late. You have put in a lot of energy for the country to become even more beautiful. In return for that, the people of Azerbaijan have voted for seeing you by their President for the third time. To be elected President for a third time is not easy. This is not easy in any country.

But it has happened because the people love you. We are pleased that more than 80 per cent of the people support you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you!

Suleyman Demirel: We are very delighted with your success. We are proud of it. We regard this as support for the unity, brotherhood and equality between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Once again I congratulate you on your election President for the third time.

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In conclusion, a photo was taken as a souvenir.