Erdogan: Unfortunately, CHP handed over Azerbaijanis to Stalin's soldiers

"Unfortunately, 14 Azerbaijani brothers died, and two were injured due to a helicopter crash in Azerbaijan. I also expressed my condolences to my brother Ilham Aliyev," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Turkish TV channels, Report informs.

Accusing the CHP of a number of incidents, the Turkish leader recalled that Azerbaijanis, who had escaped from imperial slavery in the former Soviet Union, were returned to the USSR by then-ruling Republican People's Party (CHP) officials.

"146 Azerbaijani brothers fled the persecution of Russia and took refuge in Turkey. Unfortunately, the CHP leadership handed them over to Stalin's soldiers. Our Azerbaijani brothers were killed while crossing the Boraltan bridge. They told the Turkish soldiers: 'Don't hand us over to them, you kill us.' This is what the CHP is," Erdogan said.