,  By  T-VINE

Presidents Aliyev and Erdoğan inaugurate Azerbaijan’s new Fuzuli International Airport

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev was joined by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the opening ceremony of Fuzuli International Airport on Tuesday, 26 October. The two leaders were full of smiles as they cut the ribbon, before touring the terminal building.

The Turkish president had earlier landed at the airport, which has a runway that is 3,000 meters long and 60 meters wide, making it suitable for all types of aircraft, including large cargo planes.

Work on the new regional airport only started at the beginning of the year, just a few months after the city’s liberation from 30 years of Armenian occupation.

Turkish firms formed a core part of the construction team that helped build the airport in record time, while adhering to all international standards for civil aviation.

Fuzuli International Airport, which has the code FZL, will now serve as the entry point for global travellers wanting to visit the recently liberated Karabakh territories, which includes the culturally-rich cities of Agdam and Shusha that are respectively 35 miles and 62 miles away from Fuzuli.

The Azerbaijani government continues to make large strides in the rebuilding Karabakh, which stretches from the country’s south to its western border. The entire region was left devastated by the occupying Armenian forces. Today, Turkish businesses are playing an important role in the region’s reconstruction.

Earlier this year, Turkey’s Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said Turkish construction companies were involved in 436 projects in Azerbaijan worth $15 billion.

Two new projects were formally launched by the Azerbaijani and Turkish presidents on Tuesday. The two men participated in the ground breaking ceremonies for a major new motorway and a smart agriculture campus in Zangilan.

This was President Erdoğan’s third official visit to Azerbaijan since the end of the Azeris’ 44-day ‘Patriotic War’ with Armenia in November 2020, reflecting the closeness of the two Turkish states and leaders.