Azerbaijan and Turkey ties: All-weather friends
Turkey and Azerbaijan – two brother nations and strategic partners - celebrated the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties on January 14.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a letter to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan over this historic date.
“The brotherly Turkey is the first country, with which Azerbaijan established diplomatic relations in its independent history. Ties between our countries and nations have deep historical roots. “One nation, two states” principle has covered all spheres of Azerbaijan-Turkey relations that have no analogues in the world,” reads the message.
“Based on friendship and brotherhood, our relations have today reached the level of strategic partnership thanks to our joint efforts. Azerbaijani-Turkish partnership contributes to welfare of our peoples, prosperity of our countries and establishment of peace and stability in the region. I am confident that Turkish-Azerbaijani unity and solidarity will be further strengthened and expanded in the best interests of our nations,” President Aliyev said.
Turkey became the first state to recognize Azerbaijan, which declared its independence in 1991. Intense high level contacts are the main driving main force of bilateral relations. Visiting each other’s countries immediately after assuming the office or in the wake of developments with symbolic importance became a tradition.
Turkey contributes to efforts aimed at the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty through peaceful means.
With the aim of further strengthening bilateral relations, the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSC) mechanism was established in 2010 at the Presidential level. The Council was convened five times so far and the last round was held last March in Ankara.
Turkish Ambassador to Baku Erkan Ozoral also issued a statement in connection with the occasion.
"A protocol on the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, as late poet Bakhtiyar Vahabzade emphasized "two sons of one mother, two branches of a tree," was signed on January 14, 1992. On the same day, Consulate General of Turkey in Baku became an embassy, which was the first embassy in Azerbaijan,” the ambassador said.
Ozoral stated that Azerbaijan has always taken a special place for its brothers in Turkey and the walls have never been able to change this truth: "During the Cold War, Turkish people were listening to Azerbaijani songs to deal with longing. The January 20 Tragedy in 1990 in Baku, then the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, massacres of Azerbaijanis angered every citizen in Turkey," he said.
The diplomat further noted that Azerbaijan with the increasing level of prosperity has become a enviable state.
"During the 25 years, thanks to the foresight of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and steadfast leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan has become a solid fortress of stability and cooperation. Based on the same values Azerbaijan is our indispensable strategic partner and closest ally in front of international political, economic and humanitarian challenges,” he said.
The envoy stressed that high level visits between Azerbaijan and Turkey, and technical relations in all fields retain their intensity.
"The two brother countries united economic and human capabilities by universal depth and services to regional and global prosperity and peace. The best examples are Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-TbilisiErzurum gas pipelines and the BakuTbilisi-Kars railway and TANAP projects to be completed soon. At the same time, trilateral dialogues such as Turkey-Azerbaijan-Georgia, Turkey-Azerbaijan-Iran and Turkey-Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan contribute to the welfare and tranquility of the region," he said.
Baku and Ankara are key states in all those interstate formats. Azerbaijan–Turkey relations have always been strong with the two often being described as "one nation with two states".