Erdogan heads to Karabakh for Azerbaijan's Victory Day events
Erdogan is travelling with his wife, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and several senior aides for the celebrations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan set off for Karabakh on Sunday at the invitation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Istanbul Governor Davut Gul and Abdullah Ozdemir, head of the Istanbul provincial branch of the Justice and Development (AK) Party, bade him farewell at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport.
His wife, Emine Erdogan, travelled with him, along with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli and National Intelligence Organization chief Ibrahim Kalin.
Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, Presidential Chief Adviser on Foreign Policy and Security Akif Cagatay Kilic and AK Party Deputy Chairman Kursad Zorlu, who heads relations with Turkic states, were also part of the delegation.
Binali Yildirim, chairman of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States, was among the travelling party as well.
The visit is to mark Azerbaijan's Victory Day, which the country observes on Nov. 8 to commemorate its military success in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2020.
Turkey strongly backed Azerbaijan during that conflict, and the two countries have since built close political, military and economic ties.
The Organization of Turkic States is an intergovernmental body that brings together Turkic-speaking countries to deepen cooperation.
