Washington, Sept. 1 -- The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) has issued its strongest condemnation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev following his statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin on August 31, 2025. The ETGE criticised Aliyev for publicly supporting China's stance on East Turkistan, calling Azerbaijan's position a betrayal of its Turkic heritage and solidarity.

Salih Hudayar, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Security of the ETGE, accused Azerbaijan of siding with Beijing's campaign of "colonisation, genocide, and occupation" against the Uyghur and other Turkic peoples of East Turkistan.

"East Turkistan is the cradle of Turkic civilisation. For Azerbaijan, a nation that claims the pro...