Sunday’s Zaman, Turkey
July 19 2009

Turkish-Azerbaijani relations get back on track

Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, which became unstable as a result of
Turkey’s initiative to improve its relations with Armenia, have calmed
down.

The publicity surrounding Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, begun when
Turkish President Abdullah Gül visited Armenia to watch a
soccer match between the two countries’ national teams, severely
damaged Turkish-Azerbaijani relations. Some circles both in Turkey and
in Azerbaijan claimed that the Turkish government’s move was a
betrayal of Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship, demanding that an
explanation be given to the Azerbaijani public.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an and several other
officials have repeatedly stated that diplomatic negotiations should
be transparent in order for the public to remain informed, but that
this was not the case, making it impossible for the public to be kept
up to date about the state of negotiations. Uninformed about
developments, the image of Turkey was sullied in Azerbaijan. This was
a new challenge for Turkey, one it had not faced before and for which
it was largely unprepared. Turkish-Armenian negotiations came into
sharp focus in Azerbaijan, putting Turkish-Azerbaijani relations in
crisis, as some observers preferred to label it.

For almost two decades, heavily obsessed with Armenian enmity,
nationalism raged through the country and captivated its media. It
whipped up Azerbaijani animosity among some circles against Turkish
nationals in the country and abroad. To defame the Turkish government,
anti-Justice and Development Party (AK Party) forces worked
assiduously to revive Azerbaijani nationalism. Prime Minister
ErdoÄ?an harshly criticized six Azerbaijani deputies who visited
Turkey to express their concerns over the Turkish government’s move
with respect to normalization with Armenia. They became towering
figures in escalating tensions between the two countries. The prime
minister rejected claims that Turkey’s foreign policy contradicts
Azerbaijan’s national interests.

ErdoÄ?an paid an important visit to the Azerbaijani capital of
Baku on May 13 to speak at the Azerbaijani parliament and alleviate
tension between the two countries. His speech stirred intense public
pleasure with Turkey, finally putting to an end a short-lived crisis
between Azerbaijan and Turkey. Marking a thaw in relations between
Turkey with Azerbaijan, the prime minister’s address to Azerbaijani
deputies re-cemented their friendship. The Turkish government made a
successful decision to inform the Azerbaijani public about the ongoing
developments.

Still, Turkey’s Armenian policy still remains controversial among the
Azerbaijani public. Rumors circulate saying Armenian President Serzh
Sarksyan’s visit to Turkey will mark a lasting opening of the
borders. Speaking to Sunday’s Zaman, Ä°sa Gambar, a former
presidential candidate and the head of the biggest opposition party in
Azerbaijan, Müsavat, said: "Turkey should consult with
Azerbaijan if it aims to open the borders as this issue is very
sensitive in Azerbaijan. Turkey and Azerbaijan should jointly decide
on the issue. I said many times that Turkish-Azerbaijani relations are
far more important than the borders’ state of being open or closed."
Noting that normalization in relations with Armenia would deteriorate
relations with Azerbaijan, Gambar asked: "Turkey wants to have zero
problems with its neighbors, but will eroding relations with
Azerbaijan be a successful ‘zero problems with neighbors’ policy? I do
not believe the borders will open
unless there is a development in Turkish-Azerbaijani relations."
Lamenting weakened relations, Gambar stated that there is huge
potential and that the two countries may cooperate in the economic,
political, cultural, educational and health spheres, all of which are
not at desired levels.

Leila Alieva, president of the Center for National and International
Studies, told Sunday’s Zaman: "The border issue has a political and
economic meaning. Politically, closed borders are the only support
extended to Azerbaijan in the conflict. It is a reminder to Armenia
that if it does not respect the borders of her neighbors, it will have
direct consequences, like the absence of economic relations with
powerful and rich neighbors." Commenting on the economic aspect of the
border closure, she said: "The economic level is partly maintained
because Armenia continued to receive large sums of aid from the US and
Europe as well as through trade with Russia and Iran. Due to these
political and security aspects, I do not think that the media
exaggerated the issue.’ According to Alieva, the probability of the
border opening in October is "quite high."

Sunday’s Zaman asked Araz Aslanlı, director of the Caucasus
International Relations and Strategic Research Center (QAFSAM), about
Turkish-Azerbaijani relations. Aslanlı said he does not believe
the borders will open unless the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is
solved. "It is not correct to blame only the media for the escalation
of the crisis, though there were low-level, provocative articles. I
believe the behavior of officials contributed to the problem. Turkey
and Azerbaijan enjoy special relations that no other countries
do. Therefore, it is unthinkable for relations to further worsen," he
said.

Zeynal Memmedli, a media expert and the former director of the Media
Council in Azerbaijan, told Sunday’s Zaman that Turkish-Azerbaijani
relations worsened because the two societies do not know each other
well. "I am amazed by the fact that there are cultural centers of
Germany, the US and France in Baku, but there is not a single Turkish
cultural foundation. Turkey has to work more to promote itself," said
Memmedli. "Some media groups in Azerbaijan are directed by certain
forces, and journalists are not reflecting public opinion. They do not
even understand that anything bad about Turkey is bad for Azerbaijan,
too. The media is not a professional and independent one, and thus
articles are sometimes provocative and mislead the public."

Turkish-Azerbaijani relations have experienced their worst crisis in
the post-Cold War period, leading to high anti-Turkish sentiments
among the Azerbaijani public due to Turkey’s initiative to normalize
relations with Armenia. Turkey’s attempts, reiterating at every
instance that it will not take any step that does not coincide with
Azerbaijan’s national interests, have fallen short of appeasing the
Azerbaijani public, as Turkey continues to pursue relations with
Armenia.

19 July 2009, Sunday
MAHÄ°R ZEYNALOV Ä°STANBUL