Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 25 / Trend /
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated today that Azerbaijan and Turkey will struggle "shoulder to shoulder" until the Nagorno-Karabakh is liberated from occupation, TRT Haber reported.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also attends the ceremony.
Azerbaijan and Turkey seek peace and stability in the region, he said at a ceremony laying the foundations of a petrochemical complex in Aliaga in Izmir today.
He said the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh is a heartfelt pain for every Turkish citizen.
"We and Azerbaijan have the same views on Nagorno-Karabakh and Cyprus, and we have always expressed gratitude to brotherly and friendly Azerbaijan for its sincere support in the fight against terrorism," Erdogan said.
He noted that Turkey wants to have the same fraternal relations with all countries of the region.
Erdogan said the Turkish-Azerbaijani Strategic Partnership Council will strengthen the already strong relations between the countries.
He also congratulated Azerbaijan on admission to the UN Security Council.
"Twenty years ago, when Azerbaijan declared its independence Turkey was glad that just like the rest of Azerbaijan," he stated.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.