To His Excellency Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Türkiye

Dear Mr. President,

My dear Brother,

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the brotherly Republic of Türkiye and to you personally for the unanimous election of the Republic of Azerbaijan as a member of the D-8 organization at the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, on 19 December 2024. I am grateful to you for your words that Azerbaijan’s admission to D-8 will contribute to the strengthening of the organization.

Established on the initiative and under the leadership of Türkiye 28 years ago, this organization currently works effectively to enhance the role of developing countries in the world economy, diversify their economic and trade relations, create new opportunities, and strengthen their positions at the international level.

The adoption of the first historic decision in Cairo regarding the expansion of D-8 is an indicator of international confidence in Azerbaijan and, at the same time, a source of tremendous pride for us. The unequivocal support expressed for Azerbaijan's candidacy is a manifestation of our strong friendly and cooperative relations, unity, and solidarity with every member country of the organization.

I am convinced that Azerbaijan, together with all member countries, will contribute to the mobilization of efforts for the protection of the fundamental principles of D-8, deepening of cooperation within the organization, promotion of our common interests, strengthening of Islamic solidarity, and its transformation into a great power.

My dear Brother,

I would like to note with a sense of pride that Azerbaijan-Türkiye relations, which are underpinned by the resolve of our peoples sharing deep historical roots, common national and spiritual values, are at the highest level today. Our unshakable friendship and brotherhood, our mutually beneficial cooperation in political, economic, trade, military, military-technical, humanitarian and other fields, and the large-scale projects we have jointly implemented are among the important factors defining our strategic alliance.

I appreciate your visit to Azerbaijan to participate in COP29 in November and have the warmest memories of our meeting and exchange of views, which took place in an atmosphere of sincerity, mutual trust, and kindness.

I express my gratitude to you once again and wish you good health, happiness, and success in your activities, and everlasting peace and prosperity to the brotherly people of Türkiye.

Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 20 December 2024