There was a meeting with the visiting delegation of TÜMKİAD, the Turkish Association of Businesspeople and Entrepreneurs, at the Milli Majlis on 19 November.

Speaking at that meeting, the Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis and Chairman of the parliamentary Committee for Youth Affairs and Sports Adil Aliyev welcomed the visitors cordially and passed to them the regards of the Chair of the Milli Majlis Mrs Sahiba Gafarova.

The Vice Speaker talked of the brotherhood between Azerbaijan and Turkey being rooted in ancient history and about our being one nation living in two states that had become yet closer and united to attain strategic partnership since Azerbaijan had gained independence. The friendship between the state leaders Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan plays an immense role in the broadening of the multifaceted Azerbaijani-Turkish co-operation, too, while the moral and political support from the administration and people of Turkey to Azerbaijan during the Patriotic War came as another sheer evidence of this friendship. Having said that, Mr Aliyev expressed deep gratitude for that support to the 83-million-strong Turkish nation with R T Erdogan at its head.

He proceeded to tell the guests of the 30-year-long occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan due to the Armenian aggression, the repeated provocations of the Armenian troops, the events of July, August and September this year and, lastly, the counter-offensive that the Azerbaijani side had unleashed on 27 September. Mr Aliyev also mentioned to them the innumerable war crimes of the Armenian side, the shelling of the towns of Frolov, Minghechavir, Gheranboy, Dashkesan, Terter and Barda and other civilian communities of Azerbaijan, the use by Armenia of prohibited weapons with the resulting deaths of about 100 and injuries to approximately 500 civilians and huge damage dealt to the civil infrastructure of Azerbaijan. The glorious Victory was gained as a result of Azerbaijan’s struggle for restoration of its integrity with reliance on the international law. Azerbaijan had prevailed at the price of our shahids’ blood, Mr Aliyev continued. The visitors were also informed of the construction of a road to Shusha, the gem of Garabagh, under way already.

The TÜMKİAD delegation leader Nihat Tanrikulu told the Members of the Milli Majlis of the love of Azerbaijan in his country before asking of the Allah that the souls of the fallen sons of Azerbaijan rest in peace and the wounded gazis would get well soon. The soul of the great leader Heydar Aliyev may rejoice now, in the opinion of Mr Tanrikulu. The land of Garabagh is sacred to Azerbaijan; the Association is prepared to extend every support and help with restoring and outfitting the liberated lands of Azerbaijan, he pointed out.

The Chairman of the Milli Majlis Committee for Health and leader of the Working Group for the Azerbaijani-Turkish interparliamentary relations Ahliman Amiraslanov, the Deputy Chairman of the parliamentary Committee for Economic Policy, Industries and Enterprising Ali Masimli and Member of the same committee Ziyad Samedzade underlined the need to make the protean co-operation between our countries stronger still. Besides, they spoke their minds about the economic collaboration prospects.

Then spoke Levent Kizilgedik, Muslim Birdal, Ilhami Ozturk, Bulent Kizilgedik, Taner Sahin, Behaeddin Gul and other members of the Turkish Association’s delegation. They talked about the importance of preserving the national spiritual values in development and co-operation of any kind; they emphasised the inviolability of the Turkish-Azerbaijani unity.

The Press and Public Relations
Department The Milli Majlis