Erdogan to attend inauguration of Azerbaijan's Fuzuli Int'l Airport: report

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will take part in the official opening of the Fuzuli International Airport in Azerbaijan, Trend News Agency reported on Thursday, citing the Turkish presidency as a source.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev signed the order for the airport’s construction in January 2021, with the ground-breaking ceremony taking place shortly after.

The city of Fuzuli was liberated from Armenian occupation on October 17, 2020, following Baku’s victory in the second Karabakh war.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

During a subsequent 44-day conflict which ended under a deal signed Nov. 10, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from Armenian nearly three-decade occupation.

The cease-fire is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces withdrew in line with the agreement.