Ilham Aliyev lifts weights as Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan looks on during their visit at a sports club near the city of Zangilan. Reuters

Syed Shayaan Bakht, Gulf Today

In a show of strength, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev took the media by surprise by weightlifting after trading jokes from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Local media reported Aliyev took Erdogan's joke as a challenge on Thursday, but it was a lighthearted moment.

The incident happened during the opening of a sports centre in the Azerbaijani town of Zangilan.

According to media reports, Erdogan and Aliyev traded jokes over a 20-kilogram barbell in the fitness centre.

The office of the Turkish president shared the video.

It showed Erdogan pointing at the bars as Aliyev responded to the challenge, taking off his jacket and immediately moving to lift the weight in front of the shocked media and diplomats.

llham Aliyev lifts weights.

Erdogan and Aliyev inaugurated a newly built airport in the town of Zangila, in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Zangila airport is the second such facility built in the region after the ceasefire in 2020.

Zangilan was captured by Baku's forces from Armenian separatists during their 2020 conflict.

Aliyev said "the unity of Azerbaijan and Turkey sends a serious message to the region and the entire world as it is a factor of stability."