Erdogan and Aliyev hold joint press conference in Shusha

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev convened in Shusha on November 8 for a high-level summit culminating in a joint press conference, with both leaders emphasizing the strategic partnership between Ankara and Baku.

Meeting in liberated city

The meeting took place in Shusha, a city liberated from Armenian occupation during the 44-day conflict in 2020. The leaders' presence underscored the symbolic importance of the location — Azerbaijan has designated Shusha as its cultural capital and has invested heavily in reconstruction since the war. Both presidents have previously described the city as central to Azerbaijani identity and regional stability.

Bilateral cooperation agenda

Erdoğan and Aliyev reviewed cooperation across defense, energy, and transportation sectors during their discussions, according to Turkish presidential sources. The two heads of state reaffirmed the "one nation, two states" doctrine that defines relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan, noting that their alliance serves as a stabilizing factor in the South Caucasus. Both presidents stressed their commitment to deepening economic integration and regional connectivity projects, including the Zangezur corridor that would link mainland Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory.

Regional security context

The summit coincided with the anniversary of Shusha's liberation, a date celebrated annually in Azerbaijan as a pivotal moment in the restoration of its territorial integrity. Erdoğan's visit represented the latest in a series of high-level engagements between the two leaders, who have maintained close coordination on regional security matters and have jointly opposed separatist movements in the post-Soviet space. Ankara has provided significant military and diplomatic support to Baku since the 2020 conflict, while Azerbaijan has emerged as a key energy supplier to Türkiye and European markets.