Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva pays a visit to Turkey

The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ms. Sabina Aliyeva and staff members of the Ombudsman Office are on an official visit to Turkey at the invitation of the Chief Ombudsman of Turkey Mr. Şeref Malkoç. The purpose of the visit is to strengthen bilateral cooperation and exchange of experiences.

On the first day of the visit, Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva visited the memorial tomb of the founder of the Republic of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and paid tribute to his memory.

Within the frames of the visit, the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan visited the Turkish Ombudsman Institution and familiarized with the activities of the institution, the process of handling complaints, as well as with the work in the field of protection of the rights of various population groups.

Later, the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan Ms. Sabina Aliyeva, and Chief Ombudsman of Turkey Mr. Şeref Malkoç held a joint press conference.

During the press conference, the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan said that bilateral relations between two peoples, which have deep historical roots, are constantly developing. She also spoke about the efforts of Turkey to support the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan at the international level, underlining that the Azerbaijani people highly appreciate the political and moral support of Turkey during the 44day Patriotic War. The Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva noted the importance of the on-site investigation carried out together with the Turkish Chief Ombudsman in Ganja city of Azerbaijan, which was severely affected by the terror acts of Armenia, and the report prepared by this Institution.

In her speech, Ms. Sabina Aliyeva informed the participants of the press conference about the interaction of both institutions, joint training seminars held to increase the professional experience and knowledge of the staff of both institutions as members of the OIC Ombudsmen Association. Further, Ms. Sabina Aliyeva shared her opinion in relation to the establishment of a network of ombudsmen of Turkic-speaking countries.

In his turn, the Chief Ombudsman of Turkey Mr. eref  Malkoç said that during his visit to Azerbaijan, they witnessed the targeting of peaceful civilians with rocket attacks by Armenia during the 44-day war, which resulted in the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories, and that this evidences the gross violations of human rights.

During this official visit, the Azerbaijani Ombudsman will meet with other Turkish state officials.