"Karabakh is your just cause", or sketches for Erdogan's portrait A friend who will never let you down

"It runs through all our folklore, all human religions, all our literature a racial conviction that when one human needs rescue, others should not count the price. Weakness? It might be the unique strength that wins us a Galaxy," R. Heinlein, "Starship Troopers".

In this world, alas, there is no justice, it is useless to look for it. There are many things that do not exist in this world, including international law. Any state (as well as any individual) does only what it can afford to do. Of course, calculating the consequences.

In the early nineties, at the height of the First Karabakh War, former Azerbaijani President Abulfaz Elchibey asked Turkiye for four military helicopters and was refused. Turkiye simply could not help; it had no helicopters it could give to Azerbaijan without compromising its own security. So incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not had an easy legacy. Turkiye was torn apart by its contradictions - Kurdish separatism, fuelled by the "goodwill" of the EU, Russia and the United States, permanent economic crises, an elite that was any but Turkish, and the virtual absence of military industry. Ankara stood meekly in the anteroom of the EU and listened to the arrogant Europeans, repeatedly imposing tougher conditions for its membership. The Europeans had so many powerful allies in Turkiye, who had only personal and not national interests.

Once in power, Erdogan realized that the state had to be cleaned up and to do so he would have to take off the white gloves. It would be difficult, extremely difficult, but the man who led the country knew what he was doing. And he surprises his Western partners, who are used to seeing Turkiye as a nearly personal fiefdom, obediently carrying out directives from Brussels and Washington, if not by turning towards Russia, then at least by sending a message to the West in the spirit of "the world is much bigger than the West. Erdogan signed an agreement with Russia to build the Blue Stream gas pipeline and, perhaps more importantly, a nuclear power plant. Turkiye is becoming an energy hub.

The state's undeniable successes (including plans to build an alternative canal linking the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea, which will not be subject to the Montreux Convention) activate the "fifth column". But Operation Sledgehammer (an alleged Turkish secularist military coup plan dating back to 2003) failed, and the perpetrators were neutralized. The president defeated his internal enemies, disregarding the protest cries from Europe and the United States.

A military coup attempt, which the world's oldest democracies never condemned, is averted. But Erdogan stood his ground. Yes, the financial crisis threatens everyone, but apart from the fact that you have to pay for everything, there are things that are beyond the comprehension of the Sheylocks (in case anyone has forgotten, Turkiye is at war on several fronts, from Libya to Syria). And most importantly, Erdoğan gave Turks back their pride and awareness of the fact that they are a self-sufficient nation, pay no tribute to anyone and will only speak to everyone as equals, not intending to tolerate a different tone.

Enough has been said about Turkiye's current military industry, so I will be brief: it exists now, and it is powerful; many countries have already expressed a desire to buy Turkish UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). And not only that. Ankara, thanks to the efforts of the nation and Erdoğan, has something to answer its enemies and has the means to do so.

It is simply unconscionable to underestimate the support of Erdogan, who has given and continues to give to Azerbaijan. Both us and he were subjected to pressure during the war (Second Karabakh War between Azerbaijan and Armenia in autumn 2020). Our army was just doing its job, and Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan were doing theirs. It was a remarkable tandem of two heads of state.

Erdogan makes it clear to the world: Turkiye is next to Azerbaijan, and it must and will be taken into account. This includes economic and military cooperation, the development of education, and an unequivocal position in the international arena. We are by no means simple-minded, we are straightforward if we think it is relevant, we recognize hypocrites at once and do not miss a chance to teach them a lesson, as our President did: "In the past, when we were liberating our lands from occupation using the famous “Bayraktar” drones, foreign experts and the media were describing it as a deadly weapon. In the Russian-Ukrainian war, it is called an angel".

Is Erdogan a populist? In fact, any self-respecting politician should have a certain amount of populism, and be able to tell people what they want to hear from him. This is his work, and it's hard work – a common burden, shouldered by one. Erdogan's authority in the Muslim and Turkic world is incredibly high. He is a wonderful speaker who does not lose his composure in front of large masses of people, boldly accusing of double standards and not hiding that he will play with opponents only according to his own rules. At the same time, he is pragmatic and flexible and expresses what he thinks only when it is appropriate.

In general, there is a lot to learn from this political leader. At least consistency in supporting an ally. In support of Azerbaijan. And this, as I said in the previous article, is a two–way road: Azerbaijan is always, in any situation and in any case, on the side of Turkiye. We are also no strangers to political literacy, for example, the warming of relations between Israel and Turkiye is considerable merit of the head of our state. Friends, if there is some misunderstanding between them, need to be reconciled, and this is a matter of universal morality. And relations between Azerbaijan and Turkiye have never risen to such a high level in their centuries-old history. And this is definitely the merit of the heads of state.

Today, Erdogan is the leader of the Muslim and Turkic world. Whether someone likes it or not, it's a fact. Erdogan is our friend. But it's always good when you have a friend who will never let you down and who you can always take with you to the mountains. For example, to the mountains of Karabakh...