Azerbaijan-Turkiye: Together in past, present and future
For Aliyev-Erdogan meeting

ANALYTICS  14 May 2022 - 18:18

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s working visit to Turkiye today is timed to coincide with a landmark event - participation in the opening ceremony of Rize-Artvin Airport, after which the Azerbaijani and Turkish leaders will hold a meeting in the Turkish city of Rize.

It should be noted that the new airport is the 58th in Turkiye. The airport is to serve about 3 million passengers a year.

It is significant that the planes of two presidents, Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, made the first landing at the new Turkish airport. This is a clear evidence that the most important events in fraternal Turkiye do not take place without the Azerbaijani president's participation and the Azerbaijani public's attention. At the same time, such a tradition is of a mutual nature, no significant high-level event also takes place in Azerbaijan without President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's participation.

In this context, it is appropriate to recall the one-day visit of Turkish President Erdogan to Azerbaijan in October last year, which was timed to coincide with the opening ceremony of Fuzuli International Airport. The significance of an event of this magnitude is undeniable. The opening of Fuzuli International Airport is of great strategic, geopolitical and economic importance for the entire South Caucasus region. At the same time, this is an event that once again confirms the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the unconditional support of fraternal Turkey and the common interests of the two states.

And this, admittedly, is worth a lot. Firstly, because Erdogan's visit was also a message to those countries that are nervously watching all the processes taking place both in Turkiye and Azerbaijan.

Secondly, even in the post-conflict period, Azerbaijan and Turkiye continue to go hand in hand. The Azerbaijani president has also said this more than once, stressing that Turkiye and Azerbaijan are writing history together, that both countries were together during the entire period of the war and continue to cooperate closely today. And this is not just a statement of facts, but a reality that has already happened.

At the same time, the fact that the symbolic keys to the first air harbour of post-war Karabakh were handed to Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan is an indicator of the personal trust ties between the leaders of the two fraternal states. President Erdogan is the first Turkish leader to visit the pearl of Karabakh, the city of Shusha, liberated from Armenian occupation.

In this context, the Declaration on Allied Relations between Azerbaijan and Turkiye, signed in Shusha, should also be noted, which documented the bilateral ties between the two fraternal states. President Aliyev emphasized the historical significance of the signed document, referring to the historic Kars Agreement.

"The Joint Declaration on Alliance, signed 100 years later in liberated Shusha, defines the direction of our future cooperation," the Azerbaijani president said.

Undoubtedly, this document is seriously regarded in Turkey itself since it meets the interests of both countries. Of course, the leaders of Turkey and Azerbaijan, their personal relations and contacts, contribute to this in many ways. It is also important to note that this kind of relationship enhances the importance of Azerbaijani-Turkish relations not only in the Turkic world but also in the rest of the world.

By the way, Presidents Aliyev and Erdogan make a huge personal contribution to strengthening the Turkic factor and Turkic solidarity. As a result of active work in the Turkic Council, in November last year, during the VIII Istanbul Summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented the Highest Order of the Turkic World to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The Turkish leader highlighted the successful activities of Azerbaijan during the presidency of the Turkic Council, as well as the personal merits of Ilham Aliyev as the victorious Supreme Commander, under whose leadership the occupation of Karabakh, which lasted for about 30 years, was put to an end in 44 days. Thus, President Erdogan gave a clear message that the liberation of Karabakh from Armenian occupation is not only a triumphant victory for Azerbaijan but also a historic event for the entire Turkic world. It was a message from the Turkish leader to the Western and Eastern worlds that the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity had strengthened the Turkic world unity.

"Kharibulbul, the symbol of freedom of Karabakh, has become a messenger of victory for the entire Turkic world," Erdogan said, thereby emphasising Azerbaijan's special place in the greater Turkic world.

And it certainly did not go unnoticed by anyone that President Aliyev regarded the highest award presented to him as an award to the entire Azerbaijani people. This event is also remembered by the fact that Azerbaijan received this award by handing over the chairmanship of the Turkic Council to Turkiye.

"The determination, will, and courage shown in the Second Karabakh War led us to a great victory." I must also say that everyone can see that the support provided to us by my dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan from the first hours of the war to its last minutes gave us additional strength and became a moral support. Because, feeling this support, listening to his words, we felt even stronger, "the head of our state stressed. This fact cannot be disputed.

This historical episode is just one of many that point to the common views and interests of Azerbaijan and Turkiye in regional politics. In fact, the bilateral ties between our countries are multifaceted; they have not only historical roots but also a confident continuation. Today, this is confirmed not only by the processes taking place in the South Caucasus region in the post-conflict period (in particular, Turkiye's active participation in the revival of Karabakh liberated from occupation), but also by fundamentally identical views on global policy issues.

 Azerbaijan and Turkey skillfully pursue a balanced foreign policy in the international coordinate system, relying on their national interests, showing mediation efforts aimed at resolving conflicts, but at the same time maintaining a balance of power with key partners in the region. We see this in the example of the events in Ukraine. Turkiye and Azerbaijan are equally flexible in building relations with key allies and partners, but at the same time, they continue to provide humanitarian, intermediary, and financial assistance to countries, speaking in support of their sovereignty and independence. Turkiye is a country with military, economic, and industrial strength and the second most powerful NATO country, and what is important, a serious authority in the system of international coordinates. Azerbaijan greatly appreciates the fact that Turkey provides it with great support in the restoration of the Eastern Zangazur and Karabakh regions. Currently, many Turkish companies are working on infrastructure projects for the construction of bridges, roads, power plants, and airports. Along with Azerbaijani companies, 12 Turkish companies took part in the construction of Fuzuli Airport, thanks to which it was possible to build it in record time - in just eight months. Azerbaijan is currently engaged in major reconstruction work, and the support provided by Turkiye in this direction is invaluable.

There is no doubt that the Azerbaijani president's every visit to Turkiye makes a qualitative contribution to the further deepening of cooperation with fraternal Turkiye. And today's meeting of the two heads of state will definitely further strengthen the common agenda on regional and geopolitical issues.

Caliber.Az