A slap in the face for Turkey from the President of Azerbaijan
Aliyev’s statements against Ankara come as a shock!!!
In recent years, Turkey and Azerbaijan have grown so close that, according to statements by Erdoğan and Aliyev, they are considered “two states, one nation.”
However, it appears the situation has begun to change…
Speaking at his party’s congress in Baku on October 3, the President of Azerbaijan, I. Aliyev, sent three pointed messages to Turkey and Erdoğan—without explicitly naming them!!!
1. “Do not interfere in our way of life.”
2. “We purchased your weapons at global market prices.”
3. “We have an independent foreign policy.”
1. Regarding the first message, Aliyev is asking Turkey to stop pressuring Baku over the issue of implementing the headscarf policy in Azerbaijani schools—a practice that is in place in Turkey!!! For this reason, on September 24, the President of Azerbaijan signed a presidential decree banning the use of the headscarf in the country’s schools…
2. Aliyev’s message regarding weaponry is linked to Erdogan’s attempt to portray Turkey as the key factor behind the Azeri victory over the Armenians in the 2020 Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war.
This has greatly annoyed the President of Azerbaijan…
3. Regarding Azerbaijan’s independent foreign policy, the country’s President signaled his displeasure to Ankara, as the latter pushes for an end to Azerbaijan’s strategic relationship with Israel!!!
Turkish analysts believe that Aliyev’s messages signal a rift in the “Century of Turkey” plan—announced by Erdogan in 2023—which aims for the political, economic, cultural, and defense integration of the Turkic states of Central Asia and the Caucasus…
It remains to be seen how Ankara will react…
It is worth noting that Azerbaijan’s relations with Israel are exceptionally close, strategic, and multifaceted, despite the fact that Azerbaijan is a Muslim country.
Israel supplies Azerbaijan with advanced military equipment, including drones and missile systems, which played a pivotal role in Baku’s operations in Nagorno-Karabakh. Israel accounts for the vast majority of Azerbaijan’s heavy weaponry imports.
Israel views Azerbaijan as a strategic foothold due to its shared border with Iran, enabling it to monitor Iranian activities.
Azerbaijan is one of Israel’s largest suppliers of crude oil (meeting a significant portion of its needs), primarily via the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline.
Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company (SOCAR) has made significant investments in Israeli natural gas fields, such as the Tamar field. Despite their long-standing friendship dating back to the 1990s, Azerbaijan officially inaugurated its embassy in Israel in 2023, sealing the upgrade of relations between the two countries.
