SHUSHA, Azerbaijan
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday met his Azerbaijani counterpart in the city of Fuzuli, which was liberated by Azerbaijan during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh region late last year.
The two leaders later traveled to the Azerbaijani city of Shusha in the same car. Aliyev briefed Erdogan about reconstruction in the city on the way.
Erdogan was later welcomed with an official ceremony in Shusha by President Ilham Aliyev.
After a closed-door meeting, Erdogan and Aliyev will attend a signing ceremony, hold a joint press conference and take a tour of the city.
Azerbaijani army liberated the cities of Fuzuli, Shusha and other surrounding villages from Armenian occupation during the clashes over Karabakh that started in late last September and continued for six weeks.
Erdogan arrived early Tuesday in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to hold official talks with Aliyev.
Erdogan was received at the Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport by Deputy Prime Minister Yaqub Eyyubov, Deputy Foreign Minister Halef Halefov, Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Turkey Hazar Ibrahim and Turkey's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagci.
He is accompanied by first lady Emine Erdogan, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, Justice and Development (AK) Party spokesman Omer Celik and head of the Turkish delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Osman Askin Bak.