Maneuvers in the Period of Stagnation

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made an unexpected visit to Ankara on June 10, at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While both leaders have maintained frequent communication, with Aliyev visiting Turkey as recently as February and June of last year, the reasons for this latest one-day working visit were shrouded in secrecy. The Azerbaijani press had no prior knowledge of the visit's agenda, underscoring the strategic importance of the discussions.

On June 11, in a move that left the political landscape abuzz, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the formidable leader of the AKP (Justice and Development Party), held a 1.5-hour meeting with Özgür Özel, the chairman of Turkey's main opposition party, the CHP (Republican People's Party).

In the aftermath of the municipal elections on March 31, where Turkey's ruling party suffered a significant defeat for the first time in nearly 22 years, the country's foreign policy activities have markedly declined. This shift comes at a critical juncture, with global dynamics, particularly the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, demanding more nuanced diplomatic engagements.

In a recent interview with Turan News Agency, Ercan Çitlioğlu, President of the Center for Strategic Studies at Bashkent (Capital) University in Ankara, shared his insights on Turkey’s involvement in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the dynamics of Azerbaijani-Turkish relations, and broader geopolitical developments. Below is an excerpt from this thought-provoking conversation.