Coup in Turkey could not worsen Ankara-Baku relations, political analysts believe

The relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey are based on common political and economic interests and are not determined by those persons who are in power. This opinion was voiced by political analysts, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

On July 15, Turkish military men made an unsuccessful attempt of an armed coup. As a result, 60 people were killed. Flights from Azerbaijan to Turkey have been cancelled.

The attempted coup in Turkey is a result of dissatisfaction with the pro-Islamic political course of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This was stated by Khikmet Gadjizade, the leader of the Azerbaijani Centre for Political and Economic Studies "Far Centre".

According to him, serious discontent of the military men and a part of the society was caused by "inconsistent foreign policy, in particular, errors in Syria, resulting in arrival of more than 2 million refugees, and a surge of terrorist activity in the country."

"Meanwhile, supporters of the secular development in Turkey were most of all displeased with Islamization of the country in the direction of Iran or Pakistan models," notes Khikmet Gadjizade.

According to him, the coming to power Erdogan's opponents in Turkey would not have worsened the Ankara's relations with Baku. "The return to the Turkey's policy of the 1990s, when the country was ruled by pro-Western liberal governments, supported by the military men, would only contribute to the warming of the relations between the two countries. Those governments supported the democratization of Azerbaijan. Erdogan does not think of Azerbaijan," believes Khikmet Gadjizade.

Let us remind you that on September 15, 2010, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a declaration on strategic cooperation. On August 16, 2010, the country signed an agreement on strategic partnership and mutual assistance.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.