Azerbaijani president's landmark visit to Türkiye Boosting strategic partnership in post-election period

After the February 7 snap presidential elections, as expected and has become traditional in the relations between the two fraternal nations, driven by the “one nation, two states” motto, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is paying his first official visit to Türkiye at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The first official visit to Türkiye holds significant importance for several reasons:

The visit underscores the enduring strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Türkiye, characterized by shared historical, cultural, and geopolitical ties. President İlham Aliyev's decision to prioritize Türkiye as his first official destination after the snap presidential elections highlights the importance of bilateral relations and the desire to further strengthen cooperation across various domains.

Regional Stability and Security

Azerbaijan and Türkiye are key players in ensuring stability and security in the South Caucasus and the wider region. The visit provides an opportunity for both countries to reaffirm their commitment to regional peace and stability, particularly in the aftermath of geopolitical shifts and ongoing conflicts in the region.

Baku and Ankara have established robust economic ties, with collaboration in sectors such as energy, transportation, and trade, and President Aliyev's visit is expected to focus on enhancing economic cooperation, exploring new investment opportunities, and promoting bilateral trade relations to stimulate economic growth and prosperity in both countries.

The visit hot on the heels of the election win and profound changes in Karabakh and the region also serves as a platform for cultural and diplomatic exchange between Azerbaijan and Türkiye, fostering people-to-people connections and enhancing mutual understanding. President Aliyev's engagements with Turkish officials are to bolster and boost cultural ties and deepen diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Against the backdrop of and amid evolving regional dynamics, including geopolitical shifts and emerging security challenges, President Aliyev's visit to Türkiye carries implications for regional geopolitics. It provides an opportunity for both countries to coordinate their positions on regional issues, collaborate on common challenges, and advance shared interests in the broader Eurasian context.

Overall, President Aliyev's visit to Türkiye holds strategic significance in consolidating the strong bilateral partnership, advancing economic collaboration, promoting regional stability, and deepening cultural and diplomatic ties between Azerbaijan and Türkiye in the post-election period.

Relations with Turkic states

Ilham Aliyev’s February 14 inaugural speech is a comprehensive program, outlining all-out relations between Baku and Ankara on the one hand, and other capitals of the member nations of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).

Azerbaijan has pledged to continue efforts within the framework of the OTS as a priority, the president said, elaborating that the OTS “is the main international organization for us, because it is our family. We have no other family. Our family is the Turkic world”.

“If anyone thinks that we should look for a family elsewhere, I can say that we are not welcome anywhere and they are not even hiding this anymore. Whereas in previous years, especially during the occupation, they tried to lure us with certain promises to confuse us, i.e. pull wool over our eyes, now those masks have been dropped and there are clearly dividing lines there,” the president said a short while ago, clearly setting the agenda for years to come.

He further added that “we did not draw those dividing lines, we are against any dividing lines. Even in the South Caucasus, where there are only three countries, we can clearly see these dividing lines today. Under such circumstances, should we bow to those who do not want to accept us somewhere? Absolutely not! Our family is the Turkic world. We feel perfectly good there”.

“We have fraternal relations with all countries that are members of the Organization of Turkic States, and our policy is to strengthen the Organization of Turkic States. It is a large geography, a large territory, a large military power, a large economy, natural resources, transportation routes, a young and growing population, and people from the same roots. Can there be a stronger union than this? Of course not! We must make a joint effort so that the Organization of Turkic States becomes an important actor and power centre in the global arena. We can only achieve this together”.

The Azerbaijani leader also accentuated the centuries-old wish of the Turkic nations to be side by side and cooperate for their prosperity and the visit is for sure to serve to facilitate and bring together members of the Turkic nations to realize the holiest issues on the agenda.