Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has congratulated Azerbaijan on the 103rd anniversary of Baku’s liberation from the Armenian dashnak and bolshevik occupation in 1918.
Erdogan posted his congratulatory message on his official Twitter account on September 15.
“I sincerely congratulate the Azerbaijani people on the 103rd anniversary of the liberation of Baku, the capital of friendly and fraternal Azerbaijan, from the Bolshevik-Dashnak occupation. I pay tribute to the memory of the Caucasus Islamic Army Commander Nuru Pasha and the heroic soldiers. I convey my greetings to all Azerbaijani people,” he wrote
Turkey’s National Defence Ministry and Foreign Minister Movlut Cavusoglu shared similar messages.
“The Caucasus Islamic Army under the command of Nuru (Killigil) Pasha liberated Baku from occupation 103 years ago and established a throne in the hearts of our Azerbaijani brothers. We sincerely celebrate this special day and commemorate our martyrs and veterans with mercy and gratitude,” the National Defence Ministry tweeted.
In his message, Mevlut Chavushoglu said: “In the 103rd year of Baku’s liberation from occupation, fortunately, Karabakh is now free. We commemorate our martyrs with mercy. Bless their souls.”
Azerbaijan marks the 103rd anniversary of Baku’s liberation from the occupation of Armenian and Bolshevik units by the Caucasus Islamic Army led by Turkish commander Nuru Pasha together with the newly-formed Azerbaijani National Army and volunteers on September 15, 1918.
Following the liberation, Baku was declared the capital of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic, which became the first democratic republic in the Muslim East.
In all, 1,132 fighters of the Caucasus Islamic Army were martyred.
The liberation of Baku is an event of exceptional importance for the Azerbaijani-Turkish friendship and brotherhood.
By Vugar Khalilov