Maneuvers in the Period of Stagnation

In a recent post, Nilgun Cerrahoglu in Cumhuriyet highlighted President Erdoğan's invitation to the G-7 summit in Italy.

The announcement that on June 12, the Azerbaijani and Iranian armies will simultaneously conduct tactical exercises on the border with Nakhchivan raises many questions.

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).