Aliyev: Erdogan`s re-election opens new horizons

The state visit of the re-elected President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Azerbaijan demonstrated the consistency of Turkish policy towards the country, which is part of the motto "One people - two states".

Sometimes they say: "One people - three states", meaning also Northern Cyprus, controlled by Turkey, but not recognized by any state, including Azerbaijan. However, Erdogan, known for his political assertiveness and love of symbolism, nevertheless remained faithful to his policy of uniting the troika from the Mediterranean to the Caspian Seas. He defiantly made his day-to-day visit to Cyprus and Azerbaijan, which, according to his expression made in Baku, "makes us happy."

It has become a tradition that the head of Turkey, after his election, makes his visits to Turkish Cyprus and Azerbaijan, thereby emphasizing the steadfastness of the external course.

In Cyprus, Erdogan said that any deal resolving the ethnic division of Cyprus, which has lasted for almost half a century, should be based on the recognition of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in the northern third of the island state.

“No one can afford to waste another 50 years of time. If we want to return to the negotiating table, the only way to do this is to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," Erdogan said during a joint press conference with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar.

In the same way, he was principled in Baku when he touched on the Karabakh issue. "They have not surrendered anything to restore the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," he said, referring to the OSCE Minsk Group. He pointedly remarked that "it was done by Ilham Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan."

At the final press conference, the 20-year-old Erdogan-Aliyev tandem paid special attention to the strategic development of the union of the two states, focusing on the Shusha Declaration, which, according to Aliyev, raised relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan to the level of official allies. The declaration was signed by Erdogan and Aliyev on June 24, 2021, in Shusha, liberated from the Armenian occupation, and was intended to put an end to Armenia's claims to Karabakh.

From the final press statement of Aliyev and Erdogan, which lasted 22 minutes, it follows that the parties intend to develop the goals and objectives set before. In the words of Aliyev: "The victory of (Erdogan) in the elections opens up new horizons."

The foreign policy is at the forefront, which will be based on close coordination of the actions of Baku and Ankara. In the past, such coordination has yielded good results and has been successful in resolving the Karabakh issue, developing Azerbaijan-Turkey energy and transport communications. Aliyev called defense the main priorities of future cooperation, strengthening territorial integrity and sovereignty, developing energy, logistics, in particular, increasing gas supplies and cargo transportation, expanding trade turnover, which has reached almost $ 6 billion, expanding cooperation in the field of education.

Both leaders focused on the Zangezur corridor, the opening of which has so far been prevented by Armenia. "Work is underway to resolve the issue of the Zangezur corridor, the opening of which is inevitable," Aliyev said. Erdogan philosophically supported his fraternal colleague: "There is no development of culture without a road." He said this about the Zangezur corridor, which, according to him, will connect the Turkish Igdir with Nakhchivan and further with the rest of Azerbaijan.

But Erdogan is most of all interested in the opening  the Azerbaijani-Turkish University in Baku. He emphasized this issue raised by Aliyev, aiming to fill the vacuum of Turkish influence on Azerbaijani minds, which was formed after the closure of the Turkish Caucasus University in Baku 8 years ago, whose teaching staff was associated with the theologian Fethullah Gulen, an ardent opponent of Erdogan. Although a large number of Azerbaijanis receive higher education in Turkey, Ankara considers this insufficient to implement the slogan "One people - two states". At the same time, Erdogan did not focus on the Turkic factor of Azerbaijanis, using the term "Azeri" in relation to them, while fixing the term "Turk" in relation to Turkish citizens. Thus, it can be stated that Erdogan's approach to the issue of the nation through the prism of citizenship opens up a wider scope for the assertion of Turkish influence outside of Anatolia.