Erdogan's victory - victory of Turkic world
To joy of friends, in spite of enemies

ANALYTICS  30 May 2023 - 09:00

The main event of the past week was undoubtedly the second round of presidential elections held in Türkiye on May 28. The attention of the whole world was riveted to the presidential campaign in this country, and it is easy to explain - over the past 20 years, Türkiye has come a long way, becoming not only a regional leader but also a country with a strong influence on the international arena, becoming the locomotive of unification of the Turkic world, which is a vast territory with more than 200 million people. And all these achievements are undoubtedly connected with the name of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.  

Of course, now that the election results are known, some may say they were predictable. But they were not. Already in the first round of the election, the united opposition showed that it was a powerful force capable of challenging even a leader as authoritative as Erdogan. And until the voting process was over, no one could say with a hundred per cent guarantee that one candidate or the other would win.

The intrigue lasted until the very end. About 75-80 per cent of votes were counted, and the final picture began to emerge - Erdogan won. Yes, it cost him a huge effort, he had to mobilise all his forces, but in the end, he won the right to lead the country for another 5 years.

At the same time, both the campaign and the course of the election, and, naturally, its outcome - with which, importantly, the opposition also agreed - are a reflection of Türkiye’s deep-rooted democratic traditions, no matter how much some forces in the West, not sympathetic to Erdogan and fearful of Türkiye’s rapid rise to power, try to portray the situation otherwise. If there was even a modicum of doubt about the transparency of the voting process and the vote count, it is unlikely that world leaders would rush to congratulate Erdogan on his success in the presidential election. No, everything was fair and clean here.

As befits true brothers, the first leader to congratulate Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his victory was Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

"Dear Brother, on behalf of myself and the people of Azerbaijan, I am pleased to offer you my sincerest congratulations on the occasion of your new victory in the elections for the presidency of the Turkish Republic. The people of Azerbaijan also watched these elections with great attention and excitement. Our people always remember with great gratitude the decisive, unequivocal political and moral support on your personal part, on the part of the brotherly state and people of Türkiye in the struggle of Azerbaijan for the liberation of its lands from occupation," the congratulatory message of the Azerbaijani president reads.

It will not be an exaggeration to say that the vast majority of the Azerbaijani people supported Erdogan. The author of these lines was personally convinced of this when he and his family were strolling along the Baku Seaside Boulevard. After the announcement of Erdogan's victory, there was great applause from the people there, the flags of Türkiye and Azerbaijan flew up, and strangers congratulated each other on the joyous news.

Addressing citizens gathered outside the presidential compound in Ankara on the night of May 29, Erdogan said he was not the only one who won.

"It is Türkiye that has won, it is democracy that has won!" said Erdogan.

Let us add - the whole Turkic world has won. Azerbaijan, as Türkiye’s closest ally and an integral part of the Turkic world, won. Whether they like it or not but the Turkic Union is no more a phantom hope of over 200 million people but a big family where every member supports each other, and shows mutual support and solidarity.

When the Organisation of Turkic States was first formed, it was more about cooperation in politics, economics, trade, culture and tourism, but today the leaders of brotherly countries are already talking about close cooperation in security and defence. And without the locomotive of the Turkic world - strong, stable and sovereign Türkiye - it would hardly be possible to achieve such unification. That is why it is safe to say that the whole Turkic world won with Erdogan's election victory. It is clear that in the coming years, we will see a process of strengthening cooperation between the Turkic states, which will allow them to realise if not all, then many goals.

And once again about a strong, stable and sovereign Türkiye. Such Türkiye is not to everyone's liking. Erdogan's independence, both in foreign and domestic policy, and the pursuit and observance of national interests greatly irritate certain forces in the West and in the region, such as Iran. Their plans include the maximum weakening of Türkiye, turning it into a dependent state, and if we go even further - into Iraq and Syria.

A weakened and dismembered Türkiye opens the way for them to have undivided power in the region. Fortunately, their plans were not fated to come true.  The wise Turkish people made the right decision, entrusting their fate in the hands of such an experienced politician as Erdogan, who under no circumstances will allow for turning himself into a tool in the hands of the West and other anti-Turkish forces who have staked on Kılıcdaroglu.

Speaking of the latter, Erdogan's victory would be the end of the career of Kılıcdaroglu, who has lost all previous elections and the most important one of his life, on May 28. His electoral platform aimed at turning Türkiye into a state semi-dependent on the West, his anti-Azerbaijani rhetoric and much more turned most Turkish voters away from him.

In conclusion, it is clear that with Erdogan's victory, the Turkish-Azerbaijani brotherhood will become even stronger. Already today the era of Turkic peace begins. Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and the rest of the Turkic world shoulder to shoulder start a new era of integration. To the joy of friends, in spite of enemies.

Caliber.Az