Orientalists dispute about Turkey's bonuses from supporting Azerbaijan in Karabakh

Favourable terms of oil and gas supplies are the Turkey's main economic bonuses for supporting Azerbaijan in the Karabakh conflict. However, Turkey's political benefits are no less weighty than economic ones, the experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 10, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a military parade in Baku dedicated to Azerbaijan's victory in the Patriotic War.

Oil and gas are the main bonuses that Turkey will receive for supporting Azerbaijan in the war, said Vladimir Sotnikov, candidate of history and a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).

"Oil is the cornerstone that feeds the Turkish economy, which has problems with the supply of 'black gold' from the Middle East. This is an opportunity for Erdogan to receive oil and gas from Azerbaijan on more favourable terms. This is Turkey's main economic benefit in this situation. Besides, Turkey hopes to increase its trade turnover," Mr Sotnikov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Turkey supported Azerbaijan in order to satisfy its political ambitions, said Professor Alexei Malashenko, the head of scientific studies at the "Civilizations' Dialogue" Institute.

"Turkey's alliance with Azerbaijan is primarily associated with Ankara's political ambitions. It is unlikely that Turkey will receive any significant economic bonuses from Azerbaijan. There is a lot of talk about the possibility of a sharp development of economic cooperation between these two countries. Yes, some progress is possible; but not such that will remedy the Turkey's difficult economic situation. As for political benefits, yes, they are present. It was important for Erdogan to confirm his status as the elder brother of the Turkic nations," Mr Malashenko told the "Caucasian Knot".

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 11, 2020 at 05:13 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.