On May 26, the opening ceremony of the Azerbaijani-Turkish Friendship Center was held at the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU).
The opening ceremony was attended by Minister of Industry and Technology of Turkey Mustafa Varank, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagchi, Rector of the university, Professor Mustafa Babanli, deputies of the Milli Majlis and other officials.
After cutting the red ribbon symbolizing the opening, the event continued in the lecture hall named after Professor Ilhan Varank, who died during the coup attempt in Turkey on July 15.
Speaking at the event, the Rector, Professor M. Babanli, noted that two auditoriums and the lecture hall of ASOIU were named after the Turkish martyrs, Professors Ilkhan Varank and Erol Olchok: "The Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood has always been at a high level. Twenty-three students of our university became martyrs in the Second Karabakh War. Classrooms will be opened at our university, which will bear the names of martyrs. For starters, these were lecture halls named after Turkish professors. Then there will be classrooms named after martyrs - ASOIU students who died in the Second Karabakh War."
Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagci said that the night of July 15 would never be erased from people's memory: "Unknown identities robbed the state and cruelly and vilely killed innocent people. Turkey has always been a free and strong state. Turkey was the first state that supported Azerbaijan's just cause. We will continue to support each other. The centre opened today will further strengthen our slogan "one nation, two states".
Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank said sadly, "Ilhan Varank, after whom one of the auditoriums is named, was my brother. My brother sacrificed his life for a better future for Turkish youth. Holding "Teknofest" Azerbaijan provides an opportunity to teach the younger generation about technological innovations. Thanks to such large-scale events, we will further strengthen the brotherhood of our two countries and show the whole world the strength of the Turkic states. Azerbaijan was the first state to declare its support on the night of the July 15 coup. As Turkey, we are always with the brotherly country," the Turkish minister added.
At the end of the event, the guests were presented with a souvenir.
