Caspian Report - Issue 06 - Winter 2014

Turkey was the first country to recognize the
independence of Azerbaijan on
November 9, 1991.
KEY FACTORS IN THE RELATION-
SHIP BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN AND
TURKEY: A BRIEF HISTORICAL
OVERVIEW
Relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan
have always been especially
close and are better expressed by the
expression first used by Azerbaijani
President Heydar Aliyev during his official
visit to Turkey in February 1994
as “one nation, two states”. This is primarily
due to historical and cultural
reasons; the people of both countries
have common roots. In this regard,
since Azerbaijan regained independence
in 1991, common historical,
ethnic and religious roots between
these two states have significantly
shaped the emerging relationship.
One example of this is the tradition
whereby whenever a new government
in Turkey or Azerbaijan comes
to power, the new leaders make their
first official visits to Azerbaijan and
Turkey, respectively. This practice continues
to this day, and has been broken
with only in exceptional cases.
Turkey was the first country to recognize
the independence of Azerbaijan
on November 9, 1991 and diplomatic
relations between the two
countries were established on January
14, 1992. 1 At the early stage of the
relations between the two countries,
Idealistic factors prevailed. This was
especially apparent under President
Elchibey, who had a Pan-Turkic vision.
However, with time, sentimentality
receded and the relationship between
Turkey and Azerbaijan was formed on
a more pragmatic basis. Azerbaijan
began to realize that Turkey does not
have the capacity to facilitate broader
reforms in the economy and to lead
the conflict resolution process for the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Primarily,
this was due to the inability to predict
the development of the events after
the collapse of the Soviet Union. Another
reason is Turkey’s limited political
and economic resources, which
prevented it from responding to the
new political conditions. 2 As a result
of miscalculations and mistaken policies,
the pro-Turkish government led
by Elchibey collapsed and was replaced
by veteran former Soviet politician
Heydar Aliyev.
85
CASPIAN REPORT, WINTER 2014
1
. Azerbaijan - Turkey relations, official site of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Republic, http://www.mfa.gov.az/files/file/
Azerbaijan%20-%20Turkey%20relations.pdf
2
. Rovshan Ibrahimov, The extend and Limits of Turkey`s Soft Power in Azerbaijan, Turkey Country Report, 2013, Rethink Institute,
Washington DC, p. 58.