Unshakable unity with eye to future: points from President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Turkiye [ANALYSIS]

By Abdul Kerimkhanov, Editor-in-chief, Day.Az

Relations between Azerbaijan and Turkiye are at their peak and have no analogues in the world. Such a high level of interaction is built on friendship, brotherhood and solidarity between the two countries and is a guideline for the peoples of Azerbaijan and Turkiye. The recent visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Turkiye confirms the unshakable unity of the fraternal countries and is the cornerstone of the future.

Through the joint efforts of the leaders of the two countries, relations between Azerbaijan and Turkiye have today reached the highest level of strategic partnership and alliance. This was officially confirmed by the Shusha Declaration, signed on June 15, 2021 in the city of Shusha. The brotherhood of Azerbaijan and Turkiye is determined by historical traditions, common national and moral values, as well as the decisive political will of the leaders of the two countries. It is no coincidence that the words of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, “Azerbaijan’s joy is our joy, its sorrow is our sorrow,” as well as Heydar Aliyev’s saying “One nation, two states,” are the guarantee of the inviolability of Turkish-Azerbaijani ties.

Azerbaijan and Turkiye are quite successfully developing trade and economic relations. At the end of 2023, the volume of bilateral trade exceeded 7.5 billion dollars, of which approximately 3 billion were imports from Turkiye and 4.5 billion were exports to Turkiye. Let us recall that in February 2024, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a joint press conference with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Ankara that Turkiye would make every effort to increase trade turnover with Azerbaijan to $15 billion.

At the international level, Azerbaijan and Turkiye clearly support each other. Coordinated activities within international and regional organizations, including the UN, ECO, OIC and UTG are bearing fruit. The interaction between the two countries at such a high level makes an important contribution to overall progress and the establishment of stability in the region. These relations also determine the further strengthening of unity and cooperation between Turkic-speaking countries and peoples. The fact that our peoples have the same origin, similar language, culture and many other mutual ties has always made Azerbaijan and Turkiye close countries to each other, which are close in both joy and sorrow.

Turkiye has always supported Azerbaijan in the Garabagh conflict, which has already become history. In 2020, the Azerbaijani people witnessed Turkiye's strong support during the Second Garabagh War. From the first days of the war, most high-ranking officials, including the President of the brotherly country Recep Tayyip Erdogan, made statements that Turkiye was on the side of Azerbaijan. This spiritual and political support from Turkiye has given strength to Azerbaijan and increased its self-confidence. As a result, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan won a historic Victory in the 44-day war and restored the territorial integrity of the country. At the post-war stage, fraternal Turkiye actively participates in large-scale restoration work initiated by the Azerbaijani government in the territories liberated from occupation.

In turn, Azerbaijan also provided Turkiye with fraternal support in the most difficult times of its history. In February 2024, Turkiye was rocked by a terrible earthquake that killed hundreds of people. Azerbaijan was the country that was the first to extend a helping hand to the brotherly country in such a difficult period. On the first day of the earthquake, according to the order of President Ilham Aliyev, all facilities were mobilized to provide the necessary assistance to Turkiye. In addition, on the instructions of First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation also provided humanitarian assistance to the earthquake-stricken region of the country. All citizens of Azerbaijan showed solidarity with the Turkish people, helping as best they could. At the same time, Azerbaijan continues to provide support in eliminating the consequences of the earthquake in Turkiye.

The importance of the unity of the Turkic world has always been the focus of attention of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkiye. The unification of the Turkic world, the unity of peoples with common roots, will strengthen each member of the Organization of Turkic States. From this point of view, the upcoming informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Shusha in July of this year will play a special role. Holding this summit in Shusha, the symbol of Garabagh, is of great importance. Thus, a signal will once again be sent to the international community that Garabagh is historically an Azerbaijani, Turkic land.

Azerbaijan aims to continue cooperation with Turkiye in the field of energy transformation ahead of the 29th international Conference COP29, which will be held in Baku in November 2024. Turkiye is also showing great interest in the event, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated today during a one-on-one meeting with President Ilham Aliyev. In turn, the head of our state invited the President of Turkiye to COP29, to which the Turkish leader responded in the affirmative.

In general, the factor of Turkish-Azerbaijani unity is very important, including from the point of view of development, stability and security of the region. The agenda for interaction is quite broad, and it is based on a unity of opinions and positions. And without any doubt, the allied relations between Azerbaijan and Turkiye will continue to successfully develop upward.