President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Azerbaijan on Tuesday (16 September) for an official visit that included ceremonies in Shusha and wide-ranging talks with President Ilham Aliyev.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was welcomed at Fuzuli International Airport by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, where a guard of honour was lined up. At the airport, the UAE president was briefed on the Fuzuli, Zangilan, and Lachin International Airports constructed in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories.
The two leaders then toured the city of Fuzuli by car. On their way to Shusha, they posed for a photograph against the backdrop of Dashalti village in the Shusha district.
An official welcome ceremony for Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan took place in Shusha, where a guard of honour was arranged in the city square, decorated with the national flags of both countries. The leaders inspected the guard of honour, heard the national anthems of the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan, and watched the ceremonial march. Members of the Azerbaijani delegation were introduced to the UAE president, while the UAE delegation was presented to the Azerbaijani president.
President Ilham Aliyev and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan later held a one-on-one meeting in Shusha, followed by an expanded session with the participation of delegations. The discussions concluded with a ceremony to exchange documents signed between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates in the presence of the two heads of state.
The visit also included cultural and historical programmes in Shusha. The two leaders viewed bullet-riddled monuments of prominent Azerbaijani figures Natavan, Bulbul, and Uzeyir Hajibeyli, which had been damaged during the period of occupation. It was noted that Armenians had intended to take the statues to Armenia to melt them down, but thanks to the intervention of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, the statues were retrieved and later restored to their original locations in Shusha after liberation.
President Aliyev and President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also visited the Shusha branch of the National Carpet Museum. They were informed about the building’s history, the evacuation of 183 exhibits during the occupation, and the restoration launched by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in 2021. Today, the museum showcases carpets, archaeological materials, embroidery, costumes, jewellery, and artistic metalwork dating mainly from the 18th to 20th centuries.
The two presidents inspected the ongoing construction of the New Shusha Mosque, where Anar Alakbarov, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, briefed them on the project. The mosque’s foundation was laid by President Ilham Aliyev in 2021, with its design symbolising the liberation of Shusha and Karabakh. The two minarets are set to represent the eleventh month of the year when liberation was achieved, while the overall structure features geometric patterns inspired by Shusha’s historic mosques.
At Jidir Duzu plain, President Aliyev and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended a Karabakh horses show. President Aliyev presented a Karabakh horse named “Ergunesh” to the UAE president. The leaders also posed for photographs in front of the Shusha Fortress.
The official programme concluded with a luncheon hosted in Shusha on behalf of President Ilham Aliyev in honour of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
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