Azeri leader visits Turkey after Ankara attack

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has paid a visit to Ankara in a rare gesture of diplomacy, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an's scheduled visit to Baku was canceled in the aftermath of a deadly car bomb attack in the Turkish capital on March 13. 

Appearing at a joint press conference with Aliyev in Ankara on March 15, Erdo?an thanked his counterpart for his brotherly action. 

Erdo?an also said some six deals were signed between the two countries. 

Aliyev extended his condolences, praying for the victims of the attack, which claimed at least 37 lives.

The Azeri president also praised the cooperation between the two countries. 

Following the attack on March 13, Aliyev proposed holding the meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Ankara on the same day, sources from the Turkish president's office said on March 14. Erdo?an accepted this proposal, which was presented within the framework of displaying solidarity with Turkey in the fight against terror and offered gratitude to Aliyev, the same sources told reporters.

The intergovernmental meeting was originally scheduled to be held in Baku on Feb. 18. At the time, Erdo?an canceled the visit after a Feb. 17 suicide bomb attack on a convoy of military buses killed 29 people in Ankara.
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