The contested territory of Nagorno-Karabakh is the root cause of renewed Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. So far more than 100 confirmed deaths have been reported. Internationally, the Nagorno-Karabakh region is recognized as part of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan officially provided proofs that armed conflict started after Armenia’s deliberate and targeted attack against civilian infrastructure.
Proof of Armenia's delibarate and targeted attack against critical civilian infrastructure of Azerbaijan. #Missile landed in close proximity of energy block in #Mingachevir. But did not explode. Peace enforcement must continue to bring #Armenia to its senses and responsibility. pic.twitter.com/QlyVuLLnXB
— Hikmet Hajiyev (@HikmetHajiyev) October 4, 2020
Turkey has close relations with Azerbaijan, while Armenia is considered close to Russia, although Russia also has good relations with Azerbaijan.
Armenia blamed Turkey for providing Azerbaijan diplomatic as well as military assistance. Armenian Prime Minister Nicole Pishinan stated in an interview with a news channel that Turkish officers and instructors were advising the Azerbaijani army in Nagorno-Karabakh and that Turkey had sent F-16 fighter jets. But Turkey refused the allegations, saying it is providing only moral support.
But why Turkey, unlike NATO, the European Union and Russia, giving full “moral support” to Azerbaijan? Azerbaijan-Turkey often being described as “one nation with two states”.
Turkey’s President Erdogan re-emphasized on the principle of ‘two-states one nation’ and said “Turkey will continue to support our Azerbaijani brothers with all means and with all our hearts, in line with the principle of ‘two states, one nation.'”
Read More: Turkey has traditionally supported its fellow Turkic nation Azerbaijan
Recently, on October 6, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met with President Ilham Aliyev during a visit to Azerbaijan and announced his support for Azerbaijan in the ongoing Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Azerbaijan has declared that it will not respond to Armenia’s provocations and will use its authority to defend itself within the internationally recognized borders in accordance with international law. We support it” Cavusoglu said.
NATO-Turkey conflict of interest
Turkey has been a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since 1952, with the second-largest standing military force in NATO. But Turkey’s support for United Nation’s recognized Libyan government, a strong stance against Egypt’s Military dictator Al-Sisi and operation in Syria are the acts attracted criticism from its NATO allies. Most recently, tension has been rising between Turkey and Greece in the waters of the Eastern Mediterranean. Third NATO country France has become involved, siding with Greece.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jan Stoltenberg, to settle the dispute, arrived in Ankara on a two-day visit to Turkey and Greece and met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after which the Secretary-General praised Turkey’s cooperation in various international NATO missions.
The purpose of his visit is to improve NATO’s deteriorating relations with Turkey. Ahead of the Secretary-General’s visit, NATO has helped set up a hotline to ease growing tensions between Turkey and Greece.
Efforts to restore Turkey’s regional power
Erdogan has been trying to make Turkey a great power since 2003. His policies and efforts manifest the emergence of Turkey as a combination of Ataturk’s modernism and Ottomans’ progressiveness.
Moreover, Erdogan has been trying to fill the void left by a strong country in the region since the end of the Cold War.
In northern-Syria, Turkish armed forces along with Syrian National Army (SNA) started cross border military operation named operation peace spring against the terrorists of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
Last year Turkey and Libya signed an agreement to determine Turkey’s maritime rights in the region. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has registered a Turkey-Libya deal on the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean. The agreement “has been registered with the Secretariat, in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations,” said the certificate of registration. This deal is discussed as a great success for Erdogan’s foreign policy.
President Erdogan sharply criticizes Egyptian military dictator el-Sisi over the continuous violence of human rights in Egypt. Last year, on the execution of nine innocent people in Egypt Erdogan boldly stated: “Of course, we are going to be told that it is a decision of the judiciary, but there, justice, elections, all that, are nonsense. There is an authoritarian system, even totalitarian,”.
Turkey is reacting, positively and according to the UN principles, to what is happening in its neighbourhood, especially in Syria, Libya, Egypt, Azerbaijan and the Eastern Mediterranean. Erdogan’s Turkey is now emerging as a true secular Islamic state with more open, clear, well structures and constructive regional goals.