“Today, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the reestablishment of our diplomatic relations with friendly and brotherly Azerbaijan,” the Ministry said. “Azerbaijan declared her strong will to become a member of the international community enjoying equal rights on 29 October 1991 coinciding with the 68th anniversary of our Republic and gave us twice the reason to celebrate on that day”.

The Ministry recalled that Türkiye officially recognized the Republic of Azerbaijan without delay, and diplomatic relations were established with the signing of the “Protocol on Reestablishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of Türkiye and the Republic of Azerbaijan”.

The Ministry noted that Türkiye became the first state to establish diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan after declaring independence.

Relations have always been strong between Azerbaijan and Turkey, and are often described as "one nation, two states" by the ex-president of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev due to both being Turkic countries.

Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Azerbaijan's independence on June 4, 1918 (Treaty of Batum) and the first to recognize Azerbaijan's restoration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Since then, Turkey has been a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan in its efforts to consolidate its independence, preserve its territorial integrity and realize its economic potential arising from the rich natural resources of the Caspian Sea.

The two countries share a 17 kilometers (11 mi) long international borderline, with the Aras River separating Turkey from the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan. (ILKHA)