Turkish Victory Party unhappy with campaign against Azerbaijan – advisor (PHOTO)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 22. The Victory Party has expressed serious dissatisfaction and concern over a campaign against Azerbaijan being conducted by certain political circles in Türkiye.

According to the New Azerbaijan Party (YAP), a meeting was held on October 24 at YAP’s Central Office at the initiative of Türkiye’s Victory Party. The meeting brought together Tahir Budagov, Deputy Chairman of YAP and Head of its Central Office, and Hakki Shafak Ses, an adviser to the Chairman of the Victory Party.

Conveying greetings from the party’s chairman, Ümit Özdağ, Hakki Shafak Ses said that the Victory Party was interested in establishing ties with the New Azerbaijan Party. He also requested that a delegation representing his party visit Baku to explore the possibility of discussing these issues.

He noted that the campaign against Azerbaijan conducted by certain political circles in Türkiye in recent times had caused serious dissatisfaction and concern within the Victory Party. The adviser stressed that party chairman Ümit Özdağ had made his position clear from the outset and firmly opposed such actions, unequivocally stating in all his public speeches that no force had the right to interfere in Azerbaijan’s internal affairs.

“Azerbaijan, as an independent and secular state, is free to make its own decisions, and any attempts to interfere in its internal affairs are entirely unacceptable,” he said.

Referring to the statement issued by the Press Service of the New Azerbaijan Party on the matter, Hakki Shafak Ses emphasized that YAP’s just position was also supported by Turkish society. He noted that the biased approach of the 31 individuals declared persona non grata by Azerbaijan and banned from entering the country did not reflect the position of the Turkish people.

“Recent events have once again confirmed that the Turkish people respect Azerbaijan’s independent and principled policy, which is based on national interests, friendship and brotherhood. All negative developments that undermine unity between Türkiye and Azerbaijan must be unequivocally prevented. The Victory Party’s position is that concrete legal measures should be taken against individuals conducting anti-Azerbaijani propaganda in Türkiye,” the adviser added.

Tahir Budagov, Deputy Chairman of YAP and Head of its Central Office, thanked him for conveying the greetings and asked him to convey his own greetings to Ümit Özdağ.

Stressing that defamatory and slanderous propaganda against Azerbaijan by certain political circles in Türkiye, including individuals holding senior government positions and representing Türkiye’s ruling party, was deeply regrettable, Tahir Budagov expressed his gratitude to the Victory Party and its chairman for their unequivocal support for Azerbaijan’s just position.

Recalling that, amid complex geopolitical developments, Azerbaijan was making a significant contribution to strengthening solidarity and cooperation in the Turkic world, as well as reinforcing the position of the Organization of Turkic States in the contemporary system of international relations, Tahir Budagov emphasized that the current situation was unacceptable, as it also undermined this process.

“Azerbaijan–Türkiye relations have faced certain difficulties at various times, but thanks to the will of our peoples, they have honourably overcome these trials and grown even stronger. Today, any attempt to exert pressure on our country’s independent policy, which is based on the principle of secularism, is unacceptable, and it is impossible to force Azerbaijan to abandon this path,” he said.

The meeting also addressed prospects for further cooperation between the New Azerbaijan Party and the Victory Party.