A 'victory response' to Erdoğan from Azerbaijan's Official Gazette: 'Its architect is the Azerbaijani army'

In response to this statement by Erdoğan, Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz implied, "You will end up like Saddam Hussein," and this statement caused reactions in Turkey.

A reaction to Erdoğan's statements also came from Azerbaijan.

In an editorial published in 'Azerbaijan', the official gazette where regulations such as laws, decrees, regulations, and circulars issued by the legislative body of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the National Assembly of Azerbaijan, are published and put into effect, Erdoğan's statements were criticized with harsh sentences.

Here are the highlights from that statement:

"THE ARCHITECT OF THE KARABAKH VICTORY IS THE AZERBAIJANI ARMY"

The 44-day Patriotic War and the 23-hour counter-terrorism measures ended not only with the termination of the 30-year occupation that Azerbaijan was facing but also with the full determination of its territorial integrity, sovereignty, and constitutional structure. The "Iron Fist" destroyed the Armenian separatism, which had a 200-year insidious and bloody history, forever.

This military victory is the most magnificent achievement in our entire history. At the same time, in the context of the new realities created by Azerbaijan, which is experiencing its strongest period, it is the most fundamental indicator that determines our country's regional leadership in the international arena, its global influence, and its increasing role as an important economic and political actor.

"AZERBAIJANI SOLDIERS ENTERED KARABAKH"

So, who is the owner of this victory, and what is the reason for the victory?

Let us give the answer to this question by quoting from President Ilham Aliyev's speeches:

"The owner of the victory is our glorious army, our brave soldiers, our heroic people"... "We won this victory at the cost of professionalism and heroism, and at the same time at the cost of national spirit"...

Even if our President is modest (we will touch on this subject again!), our people, from the youngest to the oldest, know, and centuries later everyone knows that this is the mission of Commander-in-Chief and Victorious Command of Ilham Aliyev, who transformed a defeated army into a heroic Armed Forces and a weak and surrendered republic into a powerful state.

"PEOPLE WE THOUGHT WERE FRIENDS..."

(...) The statement made by Ünal Çeviköz, the 2001-2004 Ambassador of brotherly Turkey to Azerbaijan, during the war created disappointment in all of us. In fact, nothing else could be expected from this person who shamelessly told black-and-white lies such as "Turkey provided weapons to Azerbaijan, sent mercenary fighters, and Karabakh could not be liberated by Azerbaijan's own power." This man, who was one of the main executors of the normalization process with Armenia, which was carried out with great efforts in 2009 and is the darkest, stained page of Turkish diplomatic history, did not change his stance even when he later displayed this attitude. He moved to the opposition party, the CHP.

Currently, claims are being made in some Turkish public opinion and media outlets that other countries will also contribute to the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from occupation.

And again, unfortunately, the Turkish media has forgotten the issues that concern society and created a new artificial agenda. The interpretation of the well-known statement that there will be a military intervention in the State of Israel and that "they will enter Jerusalem just as they entered Karabakh" is being carried out in a biased direction, the truth is being distorted, and an obvious provocation is being made. We understood the Armenians' lie, we also understood Ünal Çeviköz's slander - their intentions and goals are clear. But it is truly sad that among those who say this slander are people we thought were friends.

Intellectuals, politicians, media representatives, and social activists of both countries should try to bring our peoples closer to each other and try to immediately eliminate the slightest misunderstanding between them. This should become a moral duty, a civic obligation. In this direction, no contradictory activity has been encountered in Azerbaijan and among our citizens.

Sometimes we see the exact opposite in the brotherly country. Unfortunately, the owners of actions that undermine reliable cooperation and brotherhood, which have been tested for years, are actually the people who should ensure this.

These attempts, which have no basis, are based on lies, and "try to make a storm in a teacup," cause the greatest harm to the interests of peoples who support each other in difficult times.

The power of Azerbaijan and Turkey lies in their unity, in acting with a single stance, and in engaging in the same political thought and activity. Ultimately, those who try to shadow this are also attacking the power and position of their own state.

"BROTHERHOOD MUST BE SINCERE AND MUTUAL"

There were points that we ignored many times in order not to cast a shadow on the relations between the two states. But now it is not right to dwell on this issue. Let's look for the answer to the question, "How did Turkey help Azerbaijan in the Patriotic War?" (actually, this is a rhetorical question!)

Azerbaijan-Turkey relations are, of course, a form of cooperation based on the proven brotherhood of Azerbaijanis and Turks, who share common roots, which is rarely seen in the world. Our people gave thousands of martyrs in Çanakkale, and even people from remote villages sent their last pieces to help. In the first days of the establishment of Soviet Azerbaijan, we were the only ones who sent money, gold, and fuel aid to Turkey with the support of N. Narimanov. In the fires and earthquakes that have occurred in recent years, we have always stood by Turkey as a state and a nation, and we have provided all kinds of aid. Of course, we do not forget the participation of the Turkish soldier in the liberation of Baku 106 years ago.

The construction of a city of 1,000 houses in the Kahramanmaraş region with an initial estimate of over 100 million dollars under the instruction of Ilham Aliyev is a symbol of love for Turkey for every Azerbaijani, from the President to the ordinary citizen.

Are these the only things?

"MORAL DUTIES SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN..."

President Ilham Aliyev expanded Heydar Aliyev's "One Nation - Two States" concept on an international scale and carried the cooperation to the peak of "One State".

When Turkey was highlighted in Prague, the leader of Azerbaijan, who shouted, "There is no representative of Turkey at this table. But I am here," and insulted the enemies of the Turks, had always been perceived as the greatest zealot, protector, and supporter of Turkism.

Ilham Aliyev, who is known as the founder of the union of Turkic states in the new political era and managed to establish this institution in Nakhchivan, is the leader who brought Turkey closer to the Turkic countries in Central Asia and ensured their unity of action.

Is it possible to forget Ilham Aliyev's months of intensive work, effort, and extraordinary diplomatic skills to normalize relations between Russia, which is almost at war, and Turkey?

Or dozens of other Turkish companies, thousands of Turkish engineers and masters, as well as large transnational Turkish holdings, are working on the construction of Karabakh and East Zangezur. The Azerbaijani state creates broad conditions for the private sector of the brotherly country to participate in this process, that is, to make a profit, and for large amounts of funds to enter the Turkish budget.

In which other country are there such productive conditions for Turkish companies? If we are brothers, this is actually exactly what we should have.

However, brotherhood should not be turned into a football match played for a single goal, and mutual obligations and moral duties should not be forgotten.

"THE TURKISH FLAG IS WAVING IN FRONT OF OUR STATE BUILDINGS..."

Yes, Turkey provided significant political and moral support to Azerbaijan during the Patriotic War. Thanks to President Ilham Aliyev's diplomatic activities, the number of our friends has increased significantly in the last decade, and during the war, wide-ranging supporters and friendly countries from Europe to Asia, from Arab countries to Turkic states, supported our right. Turkey and Pakistan are at the forefront of these countries.

During that period and afterward, our nation hung the flags of these countries and the pictures of their leaders in the highest places. Even today, the Turkish flag waves over the graves of our martyrs. Although it is not in accordance with administrative and official norms, the Turkish flag is regularly seen in front of state and non-governmental organization buildings and in offices.

President Ilham Aliyev expresses his gratitude for this political and moral support at every opportunity:

"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to brotherly Turkey, which gave us the greatest support for 44 days. Brotherly Turkey and the brotherly Turkish people were in solidarity with brotherly Turkey. From the first hours of the war, Azerbaijan showed their support for Turkey. The leadership and the statements made by my dear brother President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave us great political support, we will not forget the 44-day Patriotic War once again. It showed the Turkey-Azerbaijan unity to the whole world once again."

"WE ARE IN DISAPPOINTMENT AND DEEP SADNESS..."

At the beginning of the article, we mentioned the President's humility. From the day, or rather the minute, he took office as head of state, Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation for the military parade he would hold in Khankendi. And as a result of this, not only Azerbaijan but also the Turks won the greatest military victory of the last century in the Islamic world.

However, due to his humility, he did not mention his Victorious Command even once during the past 4 years. When citizens talked about this at meetings, he politely interrupted them and repeatedly said that the author of the victory was only our army and our people.

The owner of victory is many, while defeat remains an orphan; unfortunately, this saying can also be used for Azerbaijan's victory in the Patriotic War.

All of Azerbaijan sees and watches with disappointment and deep sadness the efforts to seize the hard-earned victory of our people, our army, and our commander and to claim it for themselves.

Our hearts are broken and hurt when we hear the Armenians' vile lies from our brothers, and these words, which we hear from a place we never expected, appear as a heavy moral blow. The results of Azerbaijan's victory belong to the entire Turkic world, but its architect does not include Turkey...

"A BROTHER DOES NOT BOAST ABOUT WHAT HE DOES FOR A BROTHER..."

The well-known statements made in brotherly Turkey clearly distort the realities of the 44-day war. Most importantly, it pours water on the Armenian mill!

Our ancestors said that the left hand should not know what the right hand gives, and a brother does not boast about what he does for a brother. Let's assume that Turkey provided all kinds of support in the Patriotic War in addition to political and moral support. Why should Armenia and world Armenians, including the USA, France, and other well-known states and powers, declare this as a ground for manipulation?

Claiming that Turkey or any other country participated in the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from occupation and provided other aid, especially in the military field, in addition to political and moral support, is fundamentally wrong. It is to gain a position for world Armenians, our common enemy, knowingly or unknowingly!

"WE PAID FOR EVERY AMMUNITION TO THE LAST PENNY"

Those who write about the "participation" of the Turkish army or some mercenaries in the Patriotic War cannot reveal a single fact. Or the participation of any country in counter-terrorism operations, which are not inferior to the 44-day war in essence, should not be a matter of debate.

In the sad statements coming from Turkey, there is also mention of gratuitous military ammunition aid to Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev has carried out systematic and consistent activities for 15 years before the war, aimed at the development and modernization of the national defense industry, as well as equipping our military arsenal with all kinds of weapons and equipment reflecting the latest technological innovations in the world. Military-technical cooperation was carried out with many countries, including Turkey. Various examples of this cooperation were used during the war. Turkey's "Bayraktar" also joined our powerful aviation attack and defense systems. However, this system did not consist only of "Bayraktars".

On the other hand, after Ilham Aliyev's view that "It is not the technical means that won this victory, but our soldiers and officers. They liberated our lands from the enemy and gifted this Victory, this Victory to our people" - in general, it is unnecessary to talk about this issue...

By the way, the information published as "aid to the military arsenal" is also wrong. These are all issues related to the commercial part of military cooperation.

In other words, we paid for every bullet, ammunition, and equipment we received, gentlemen!

SINCERITY AND HONESTY TEST

Azerbaijan gave more than 3 thousand martyrs in the 44-day war and more than 200 in the one-day counter-terrorism measures. However, there is no information about any representative of any other country being killed or injured in this process.

There are currently 93,125 war veterans in our country. 4685 of them are disabled due to the civil war. The number of our soldiers who participated in the wars together with our martyrs is around 97 thousand.

These 97 thousand Azerbaijani citizens who entered Karabakh and liberated Karabakh are brave and heroic!

The President's thesis of "We need to move forward" covers Azerbaijan as well as the Turkic world, which he describes as "we are a family". In Ilham Aliyev's foreign policy, the priority is the Turkic world, and the first is Turkey.

Viewed from this perspective, this sincere bigotry of our state and our people in the example of the Azerbaijani leader should be enough and should express mutual interests, not personal interests.

Turkish-Azerbaijani brotherhood and friendship are the wealth of both nations. This unity model is also a regional security element. The signing of the Karabakh Declaration and subsequently the Shusha Declaration shows that the goals of Turkic states solidarity, which President Ilham Aliyev announced at the opening ceremony, have been successfully realized.

The results of the Shusha summit, which took place with the participation of the presidents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, the Vice President of Turkey, the Prime Minister of Hungary, and the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, show that Ilham Aliyev's initiatives to make the Turkic world a global geopolitical and geoeconomic actor will soon become a reality.

And most importantly, Turkey!

The Victory flag waving in Khankendi and Shusha should be a source of pride for the entire Turkic world, and we believe that it is.

The victory belongs to all of us, and Karabakh belongs to all of us!

As long as we are open and honest...

"AZERBAIJAN" NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL

News Source: 12punto