Call on Erdoğan: Visit Baku on November 8 and reaffirm Türkiye’s support for Azerbaijan

For about a month, since the first signs of tensions emerged, I have been trying to inform and warn the public about those seeking to drive a wedge between Türkiye and Azerbaijan, while also sharing my views on the steps that should be taken to address the situation.

TodayPress TV reports, citing Teleqraf, that Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ made the remarks.

The party leader said that if his warnings had been heeded in time and the necessary steps taken, the situation could have been prevented from reaching this point, and Ankara would not have been forced to hold a summit of the Organization of Turkic States without Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

“However, it is still not too late to correct the mistakes. The enthusiastic celebration of Türkiye’s Republic Day in Azerbaijan, along with the strong emphasis on the Türkiye-Azerbaijan strategic partnership in the Azerbaijani president’s message on the occasion, showed that Azerbaijan’s leadership is not resentful towards Türkiye and remains open to dialogue.

“President Erdoğan’s warm attitude towards Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov at the Organization of Turkic States summit, as well as the sincere messages conveyed there, were also appropriate. In particular, President Erdoğan’s statement that ‘there is no room for division in the family photo of the Turkic world; we are brothers from eternity to eternity’ was both correct and meaningful.

“It is difficult to imagine any lasting dispute between Türkiye and Azerbaijan. Certain issues arising from the circumstances of the moment, misunderstandings or statements made by extremists will soon fade away. Sooner or later, reason and brotherhood will prevail in Türkiye-Azerbaijan relations. But for that to happen, there are several important points we must all remember and learn from.

“First, we must understand that Azerbaijan is not only our brother, but also an independent country. Azerbaijan shapes its domestic policy as it sees fit. In foreign policy, it has every right to cooperate with any state in accordance with its own interests. We should not measure Azerbaijan’s value by its cooperation with a third country. On the contrary, we should assess the value of third countries by their relations with Azerbaijan.

“Second, the victory in Karabakh belongs to the Azerbaijani people and army. The courage and heroism demonstrated by Azerbaijani soldiers will leave a lasting mark on the history of modern warfare. The liberation of Shusha, surrounded by steep cliffs, in particular, was an epoch-making feat of heroism worthy of being made into a film.

“By providing decisive support to Azerbaijan during the Karabakh war, the AK Party made one of the best decisions of its 24 years in power. I continue to speak about this with pride. It was the right position to take, both nationally and politically. Therefore, if we had any part in this victory, it should be a source of pride for us alone. The Azerbaijani people and leadership generously shared the pride of their victory with Türkiye – with us, their brothers. The Turkish flag was carried alongside the Azerbaijani flag during Victory Day celebrations.”

Özdağ also drew attention to another significant aspect of Azerbaijan’s approach to Türkiye:

“After the war, Azerbaijan moved Victory Day celebrations from November 10 to November 8, saying that a holiday should not be celebrated on the anniversary of Atatürk’s death. It also welcomed President Erdoğan as the chief guest of honour. All of this was an expression of the Azerbaijani people’s and leadership’s gratitude for our support in achieving victory. It would be neither right nor fair to expect anything more.

“Third, we need to change the way we assess Azerbaijan and the other Turkic republics. Unfortunately, assessments in Türkiye sometimes focus solely on the idea of brotherhood. Emotional judgments made without understanding or taking into account the histories, political systems, social structures and geopolitical positions – and the resulting needs – of Azerbaijan and other Turkic countries can distance us from reality.

“Each Turkic republic has a geopolitical reality different from ours. Their perceptions of friends, adversaries and threats, as well as their cooperation needs, differ from one another. We have no right to ask any of them: ‘Why do you cooperate, or refuse to cooperate, with this country?’

“Fourth, all Turkic republics, including Azerbaijan, are independent and sovereign states, and they are just as protective of their national pride as we are. They are Turks, just like us. Therefore, our approach to these countries must be guided not only by love and brotherhood, but also by respect and understanding. We must also recognise that foreign policy should be conducted not solely on the basis of emotions, but rationally and in accordance with the principle of reciprocity. This is how we deal with our own brothers, too.”

The party chairman stressed that Azerbaijan and Türkiye are not merely two countries sharing the same ethnic roots, but also states whose geopolitical interests complement one another and whose long-term interests are shared.

“For this reason, those seeking to undermine our relations with Azerbaijan are also working to weaken Türkiye geopolitically. It is impossible for someone who holds negative views of Azerbaijan to have positive views of Türkiye. Look at the social media accounts of those who post or speak against Azerbaijan: these people have not made a single positive post about Türkiye, the republic or Atatürk, and they never will.

“It is possible to put an end to the discord being deliberately created between Azerbaijan and Türkiye – and it is not even difficult. A few steps by President Erdoğan and President Aliyev would be enough. First of all, legal action should be taken against individuals and social media accounts seeking to sow discord between the two countries. Sincere messages from the leadership and parliaments of both countries reaffirming our brotherhood and strategic partnership would help overcome the resentment.

“It is very important for President Erdoğan to travel to Azerbaijan and attend the Victory Day events in Baku on November 8, reaffirming our support for Azerbaijan and our strategic alliance. I believe that President Aliyev, who has described the Turkic world as ‘the only true family Azerbaijan has in the world’, will invite President Erdoğan to the celebrations.

“Remember: a person’s attitude towards Azerbaijan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the other Turkic republics is a litmus test. Those who speak ill of them cannot be friends of Türkiye or the Turkish nation. Azerbaijan is our dearest brother, and it will remain so forever.”