Azerbaijani Parliament Sends Strong Message to Türkiye’s AK Party

The Azerbaijani Parliament’s Working Group on Interparliamentary Relations with Türkiye has issued a statement.

The statement was reported to TodayPress TV by the Press and Public Relations Department of the Azerbaijani Parliament.

The statement reads:

“Recent biased information campaigns targeting Azerbaijan in certain Turkish media outlets and on social media platforms, as well as unfounded accusations against our country made by certain lawmakers from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Oktay Saral, Chief Advisor to the President of the Republic of Türkiye, have caused serious concern and regret within the Working Group on Interparliamentary Relations with Türkiye.

Azerbaijan and Türkiye enjoy relations of friendship, brotherhood and strategic alliance. Azerbaijan is an independent and sovereign state that determines its domestic and foreign policies in accordance with its national interests and Constitution. The principle of ‘One nation, two states’, established by National Leader Heydar Aliyev, explicitly recognizes the existence of two independent and sovereign states. Distorting the essence of this principle and using it as a pretext to interfere in Azerbaijan’s internal affairs or impose external political and ideological approaches on Azerbaijani society is unacceptable.

Azerbaijan’s secular system of government and freedom of religion are guaranteed by the Constitution. Our country’s education policy is based on the principles of secularism, equality and ensuring equal opportunities for all citizens. The rules applied in educational institutions apply equally to all citizens and are not directed against any religious affiliation. Politicizing these issues on religious and ideological grounds and making unfounded accusations against Azerbaijan’s constitutional order and education policy are unacceptable.

Insulting and defamatory remarks directed against President of Azerbaijan and Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, our people, their history and prominent historical figures are also unacceptable and rightly provoke public indignation in Azerbaijan. We regret to note that the AK Party government has taken no steps to prevent such developments. The tolerant attitude toward provocative demonstrations held outside Azerbaijan’s diplomatic missions in Türkiye, as well as calls for such actions, also raises a number of questions.

We believe that the special nature of Azerbaijani-Turkish relations requires adherence to the principles of political responsibility, mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. Statements made by individual political figures must not harm relations between the two countries.

As the Working Group on Interparliamentary Relations with Türkiye, we expect the relevant political circles in Türkiye, including representatives of the ruling party in parliament, to approach these sensitive issues responsibly, demonstrate respect for Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and constitutional order, and refrain from statements that could negatively affect our bilateral relations.”

Giymat Mahir