Official dinner reception was hosted on behalf of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in honor of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

An official dinner reception has been hosted on behalf of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in honor of President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The heads of state addressed the reception.

President Ilham Aliyev said:

- Dear Mr. President, my dear brother.

It is a very remarkable day today. The President of the brotherly country and my dear brother has come to Azerbaijan on an official visit. Our friends involved in the activities of this visit are here with us. During our one-on-one and expanded meetings we had an extensive exchange of views. In our statements for the press we also spoke about the work done and, at the same time, the work to be done in the future.

To sum up, I want to say again that this visit has produced excellent results. The visit has been a great success. I am sure that this official visit will provide great support for the development of Turkish-Azerbaijani friendly and brotherly relations. It will give them a major boost.

And now we are gathered for a very nice ceremony. My dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been confidently leading Turkey for 11 years. We in Azerbaijan love Turkey very much. There is not a single person in Azerbaijan who would not love Turkey as much as their homeland. Therefore, we rejoice in Turkey’s success as in our own.

Over the past 11 years, Turkey has covered a long and glorious path. This has been possible thanks to my dear brother.

We all know very well that before my dear brother came to power, the situation in Turkey was not so reassuring. There was an economic and political crisis, Turkey was gripped by a large debt, international financial institutions were to a certain degree dictating their will. Thanks to Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his activities, an end was put to all the negative phenomena in the economy and Turkey began to develop steadily. Today, in terms of economic development, Turkey is at the forefront. Several years ago the whole world and Europe were hit by a crisis – a financial and economic recession. But this crisis has not had any impact on Turkey because the Turkish government conducted sound economic policies supported by its people. During those years Turkey became a member of the "Big Twenty". This is a historic achievement. Turkey is at the forefront in a club that brings together the leading countries of the world. And this did not fall from the sky. This is the result of hard daily work. Today, the successes of Turkey's foreign policy are obvious. Turkey now has an impact on the processes taking place not only in the region but also in the world. It has become a force on a global scale. Of course, the main role in the implementation of all this work has been played by my dear brother, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his assistants, members of his team.

Over the course of these 11 years, we have worked together. We have tried to make Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship and brotherhood even stronger. Although this friendship and brotherhood are already so strong that it is not so easy to strengthen them further. But we have strived to further strengthen the unity between our two countries on the basis of the covenant given to us by history and our ancestors.

In recent years, the energy, investment, transport and other projects have not only brought us even closer together, but also had a very positive impact on the region. All of our initiatives – both in political and economic, energy and transport sectors – have benefited the region. The countries collaborating with us have also benefited from this. We are conducting a policy of goodwill. We are building our interests, if I may say so, our circle of influence on the basis of cooperation. In other words, we are always ready to help other countries and extend a helping hand. We are noted for our good intentions. In recent years, the Turkish-Azerbaijani unity has become a key factor on a global scale, at least in the region. I am sure that in the future we will do a lot more by the will of the peoples of Turkey and Azerbaijan. All these words have been confirmed by the Turkish people at the latest presidential election. The votes cast in favor of my dear brother are the votes cast for the work done. People see everything. We have a proverb: "The eyes of the people are scales". People give an accurate assessment to everything. The Turkish people have given the right assessment. And the Azerbaijani people have also given the right assessment.

Today, during this historic visit, on behalf of the Azerbaijani state I am presenting my dear brother with the highest award of the Azerbaijan state – the Order of "Heydar Aliyev". Dear brother, I want to present this high award to you now.

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An order of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to confer the Heydar Aliyev Order upon President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan was read out.

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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev presented the Heydar Aliyev Order to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.