(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Sabina Mammadli
As Azerbaijan marks the 104th anniversary of Baku's
liberation from the Bolshevik-Dashnak occupation, the Turkish
embassy honors the memory of the soldiers of the Caucasus Islamic
Army.
In this regard, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagchi
and embassy staff visited the monument to Turkish soldiers in Baku
and paid tribute to the memory of Turkish soldiers, who died during
the liberation of the city.
'On the occasion of the 104th anniversary of the liberation of
Baku, we came here to honor the memory of the heroic soldiers of
the Caucasus Islamic Army. The soldiers of the Ottoman army, who
fought against the strongest armies on many fronts of the First
World War, also fought shoulder to shoulder with their brothers
against the invaders - Bolsheviks and Dashnaks, who gave their
lives for the independence of Azerbaijan,' Bagci said.
He recalled that the Turkish soldiers fought heroically under
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's motto: 'The joy of Azerbaijan is our joy,
its sorrow is our sorrow. They are the architects of indestructible
relations of brotherhood between Türkiye and Azerbaijan'.
The ambassador added that the equality and brotherhood of both
countries are built on such solid foundations.
“Their sacrifice became a source of inspiration in the
liberation of Karabakh, which was under Armenian occupation for
almost 30 years. We respectfully honor the memory of all
Azerbaijani heroes and martyrs. May their souls rest in peace!' the
ambassador noted.
Quoting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's words, Bagchi
stressed that the 'Iron Fist' is in place.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also shared a publication
on the occasion, expressing his congratulations.
'We, as before, will stand by our Azerbaijani brothers in their
just struggle,' the president said on Twitter.
Additionally, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
congratulated the people of the two nations on the historic
liberation.
'We extend our congratulations on the 104th anniversary of
Baku's liberation from occupation and honor the memory of our
heroic martyrs. Türkiye and Azerbaijan have always been one voice
and one heart,' the minister wrote on Twitter.
The Caucasus Islamic Army led by Turkish commander Nuru Pasha
together with the newly-formed Azerbaijani National Army and
volunteers liberated Baku from the Armenian and Bolshevik
occupation on September 15 in 1918.
Approximately 8,000 Turkish soldiers and up to 7,000 Azerbaijani
local forces were involved in a decisive offensive to free
Baku.
News about the liberation of Baku was published in the first
issue of Azerbaijan on September 5 in Ganja: 'Telegram of the
commander of the Islamic Army of the Caucasus led by Nuru Pasha to
the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic: 'Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim! At
0900 on September 15, 1918, the city of Baku was liberated by units
of our heroic army.'
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 during the liberation of Baku.
The liberation of Baku - is an event of exceptional importance
for the Azerbaijani-Turkish friendship and brotherhood. Despite the
fact that for 70 years of Soviet power this event was purposefully
presented in an erroneous context, the Azerbaijani people never
forgot the heroism of Turkish soldiers.
---
Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews' staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter: @SabinaMmdl
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
MENAFN16092022000195011045ID1104876033
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.