Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, which became unstable as a result of Turkey’s initiative to improve its relations with Armenia, have calmed down.
The publicity surrounding Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, begun when Turkish President Abdullah Gul visited Armenia to watch a soccer match between the two countries’ national teams, severely damaged Turkish-Azerbaijani relations. Some circles both in Turkey and in Azerbaijan claimed that the Turkish government’s move was a betrayal of Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship, demanding that an explanation be given to the Azerbaijani public.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and several other officials have repeatedly stated that diplomatic negotiations should be transparent in order for the public to remain informed, but that this was not the case, making it impossible for the public to be kept up to date about the state of negotiations. Uninformed about developments, the image of Turkey was sullied in Azerbaijan. This was a new challenge for Turkey, one it had not faced before and for which it was largely unprepared. Turkish-Armenian negotiations came into sharp focus in Azerbaijan, putting Turkish-Azerbaijani relations in crisis, as some observers preferred to label it.
For almost two decades, heavily obsessed with Armenian enmity, nationalism raged through the country and captivated its media. It whipped up Azerbaijani animosity among some circles against Turkish nationals in the country and abroad. To defame the Turkish government, anti-Justice and Development Party (AK Party) forces worked assiduously to revive Azerbaijani nationalism. Prime Minister Erdogan harshly criticized six Azerbaijani deputies who visited Turkey to express their concerns over the Turkish government’s move with respect to normalization with Armenia. They became towering figures in escalating tensions between the two countries. The prime minister rejected claims that Turkey’s foreign policy contradicts Azerbaijan’s national interests.
Erdogan paid an important visit to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku on May 13 to speak at the Azerbaijani parliament and alleviate tension between the two countries. His speech stirred intense public pleasure with Turkey, finally putting to an end a short-lived crisis between Azerbaijan and Turkey. Marking a thaw in relations between Turkey with Azerbaijan, the prime minister’s address to Azerbaijani deputies re-cemented their friendship. The Turkish government made a successful decision to inform the Azerbaijani public about the ongoing developments.
Still, Turkey’s Armenian policy still remains controversial among the Azerbaijani public. Rumors circulate saying Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan’s visit to Turkey will mark a lasting opening of the borders. Speaking to Sunday’s Zaman, Isa Gambar, a former presidential candidate and the head of the biggest opposition party in Azerbaijan, Musavat, said: “Turkey should consult with Azerbaijan if it aims to open the borders as this issue is very sensitive in Azerbaijan. Turkey and Azerbaijan should jointly decide on the issue. I said many times that Turkish-Azerbaijani relations are far more important than the borders’ state of being open or closed.” Noting that normalization in relations with Armenia would deteriorate relations with Azerbaijan, Gambar asked: “Turkey wants to have zero problems with its neighbors, but will eroding relations with Azerbaijan be a successful ’zero problems with neighbors’ policy? I do not believe the borders will open unless there is a development in Turkish-Azerbaijani relations.” Lamenting weakened relations, Gambar stated that there is huge potential and that the two countries may cooperate in the economic, political, cultural, educational and health spheres, all of which are not at desired levels.
Leila Alieva, president of the Center for National and International Studies, told Sunday’s Zaman: “The border issue has a political and economic meaning. Politically, closed borders are the only support extended to Azerbaijan in the conflict. It is a reminder to Armenia that if it does not respect the borders of her neighbors, it will have direct consequences, like the absence of economic relations with powerful and rich neighbors.” Commenting on the economic aspect of the border closure, she said: “The economic level is partly maintained because Armenia continued to receive large sums of aid from the US and Europe as well as through trade with Russia and Iran. Due to these political and security aspects, I do not think that the media exaggerated the issue.” According to Alieva, the probability of the border opening in October is “quite high.”
Sunday’s Zaman asked Araz Aslanl,“director of the Caucasus International Relations and Strategic Research Center (QAFSAM), about Turkish-Azerbaijani relations. Aslanl” said he does not believe the borders will open unless the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is solved. “It is not correct to blame only the media for the escalation of the crisis, though there were low-level, provocative articles. I believe the behavior of officials contributed to the problem. Turkey and Azerbaijan enjoy special relations that no other countries do. Therefore, it is unthinkable for relations to further worsen,” he said.
Zeynal Memmedli, a media expert and the former director of the Media Council in Azerbaijan, told Sunday’s Zaman that Turkish-Azerbaijani relations worsened because the two societies do not know each other well. “I am amazed by the fact that there are cultural centers of Germany, the US and France in Baku, but there is not a single Turkish cultural foundation. Turkey has to work more to promote itself,” said Memmedli. “Some media groups in Azerbaijan are directed by certain forces, and journalists are not reflecting public opinion. They do not even understand that anything bad about Turkey is bad for Azerbaijan, too. The media is not a professional and independent one, and thus articles are sometimes provocative and mislead the public.”
Turkish-Azerbaijani relations have experienced their worst crisis in the post-Cold War period, leading to high anti-Turkish sentiments among the Azerbaijani public due to Turkey’s initiative to normalize relations with Armenia. Turkey’s attempts, reiterating at every instance that it will not take any step that does not coincide with Azerbaijan’s national interests, have fallen short of appeasing the Azerbaijani public, as Turkey continues to pursue relations with Armenia.
