Tensions between the two strategic partners are mounting: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev did not attend a regional summit held in Turkey, fueling speculation about a growing rift between Baku and Ankara.
Azerbaijan was represented at the summit by Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. Azerbaijani media attributed Aliyev's absence to prior commitments, but some assessments suggest that relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan, once particularly close allies, are no longer as warm as they used to be.
Will they find a way to talk? Aliyev and Erdogan
(Photo: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, REUTERS/Christian Mang)
Turkey and Azerbaijan have long enjoyed close relations and deep cultural ties. Recently, however, tensions have emerged following criticism in Turkey of Azerbaijan's ban on wearing hijabs in schools, as well as Baku's traditionally warm ties with Israel.
The Associated Press reported that in an effort to ease tensions, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Aliyev and personally invited him to the summit. Turkish media also reported that Erdogan dismissed one of his aides whom Azerbaijan regarded as an anti-Azerbaijani figure within the Turkish president's office. Despite these efforts, Aliyev had other commitments and did not attend.
In Azerbaijan, commentators say a campaign against the country has recently been taking place in the Turkish media. "For Azerbaijanis, this hostility is particularly painful because it comes from a country considered a close ally," said Farman Aydin, an analyst who writes for pro-government media in Baku. Aydin added that Aliyev's decision not to attend the regional summit in Turkey "can also be interpreted as a diplomatic signal that even the closest partnerships require mutual respect."
Following the Azerbaijani government's ban on wearing hijabs in schools, small-scale protests were held outside Azerbaijani diplomatic missions in Turkey. Azerbaijan subsequently barred 30 Turkish citizens from entering the country.
Speaking Friday at the regional summit of countries sharing Turkic languages and cultures, Erdogan said: "There can be no rift among Turkic-speaking countries." He added: "There is no room for division, disagreement or conflict in the 'family portrait' of the Turkic world. We are all one, we are together. God willing, we are brothers from eternity to eternity."