Azerbaijani president congratulates president Erdogan on Türkiye's 103rd Republic Day

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday sent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a message marking the 103rd anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye, hailing the "deep-rooted ties" between the nations and their elevation to an alliance under the 2021 Shusha Declaration, according to diplomatic sources.

'Deep-rooted' friendship

In his message, Aliyev said that Türkiye and Azerbaijan are "bound by deep-rooted ties of friendship and brotherhood that have withstood the test of time," according to the Azerbaijani Presidency. "With the signing of the Shusha Declaration in 2021, our bilateral relations were elevated to the highest level – that of an alliance – and acquired a qualitatively new dimension and substance," he stated.

Wishes for prosperity

Aliyev wished Erdogan "robust health, happiness, and every success in discharging the duties of the highest office, and the brotherly Republic of Türkiye and its people enduring peace and prosperity," according to the message. Separately, Azerbaijan's first lady and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva also published a congratulatory message on social media platform X marking the occasion.

Republic's founding

The Republic of Türkiye was proclaimed on Oct. 29, 1923, by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, formally establishing a new political order founded on national sovereignty. The republic emerged from the Turkish War of Independence — a struggle led by Ataturk and the national movement against foreign occupation and attempts to partition Anatolia following World War I.