Erdogan joins Aliyev for Azerbaijan Victory Day in Karabakh

Azerbaijan marked Victory Day on Sunday with commemorations in Karabakh, as President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared together in a public display of their countries' alliance. The ceremony centred on Khankendi, where Aliyev laid a wreath at the Victory Monument and paid tribute to Azerbaijani soldiers and officers who died in the 2020 war. The event marked the sixth anniversary of the end of the Karabakh war and was presented by Azerbaijani officials as a national day of remembrance and celebration.

Aliyev said the liberation of Shusha on 8 November 2020 was the decisive moment in the conflict and congratulated the Armed Forces on what he described as the country's victory six years ago. Erdogan attended at Aliyev's invitation, arriving with his wife, Emine Erdogan, and being greeted by Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva in Karabakh. The Turkish president's presence came after weeks of diplomatic disagreements between Ankara and Baku, as well as criticism of Azerbaijan from within Turkish society.

Despite that backdrop, both leaders used the occasion to underline the resilience of their relationship. During a joint press conference, Aliyev described Erdogan's presence at the commemorations as evidence of the strength of the alliance between the two countries. He said the two states were stronger together and that Erdogan's visit to Karabakh demonstrated their unity to the world.

Erdogan, in a post on X, said that six years earlier the Azerbaijani people had stood united under Aliyev's leadership and restored Karabakh's freedom with what he called great heroism. He added that the victory remained a source of pride for the wider Turkic world. The ceremony carried significance beyond the symbolism of the day because Karabakh remains central to regional politics and to the relationship between Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The public appearance of the two presidents came at a time when their governments have faced recent differences, making the joint event a visible effort to project continuity in the partnership. For Azerbaijan, Victory Day is tied to the outcome of the 2020 war and to the state narrative around the return of territory. For Turkey, the visit reinforced a long-standing strategic alignment with Baku.

The commemorations also reflected the continuing importance of Shusha in official accounts of the conflict. Aliyev singled out the city's capture as the turning point that decided the war, linking the anniversary directly to the military campaign that ended in 2020. By holding the ceremony in Karabakh and bringing Erdogan there, the Azerbaijani leadership placed the anniversary in the territory itself rather than only in the capital.

That choice gave the event added political weight and underlined the government's emphasis on sovereignty and control over the area. The relationship between the two countries has often been described by their leaders as a close partnership, and the Victory Day appearance was used to restate that message. Erdogan's comments framed the anniversary as part of a broader national and regional story, while Aliyev's remarks focused on unity and gratitude.

The event therefore served both as a commemoration of the war's end and as a diplomatic signal at a sensitive moment. It also showed how state ceremonies in Karabakh continue to be used to reinforce political messages about the post-war order. What remains unclear is whether the public show of unity will ease the recent disagreements between Ankara and Baku or whether those tensions will continue behind the scenes.

The immediate focus now is on how both governments will follow up the symbolism of the visit in their bilateral dealings. It is also not clear whether the commemorations will lead to any new policy announcements or remain primarily ceremonial. For now, the event stands as a carefully staged demonstration of alliance in a territory that remains central to both countries' political narratives.

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