EASTORA REPORT | In Shusha, the presidents of Türkiye and Azerbaijan stood together to declare their brotherhood unbreakable. Only days earlier, a diplomatic quarrel had raised rare public questions about the strength of their alliance.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan joined Ilham Aliyev in the Karabakh city on Sunday, November 8, for Azerbaijan’s Victory Day. At a joint news conference, both warned that attempts to divide their countries would fail. Aliyev called their unity unshakable and eternal, praising Türkiye’s rise under Erdoğan into what he called a great power.
Erdoğan was equally emphatic. “Those who seek to weaken our brotherhood will never achieve their ambitions,” Erdoğan said, invoking the 2021 Shusha Declaration. His message reached beyond the anniversary: Ankara and Baku wanted to show that recent friction had not undone their strategic alliance.
The friction was real. Azerbaijan’s new school uniform rules restricting Islamic headscarves drew criticism from Turkish officials and political figures. Azerbaijani authorities objected to what they saw as interference in domestic affairs, while Ankara sought to contain the dispute.
Then Aliyev missed an October 30 summit of Turkic leaders in Ankara, despite Erdoğan’s personal invitation. Azerbaijan sent its foreign minister instead, adding to questions about the relationship. Erdoğan also removed an adviser who had publicly criticized the school rules.
In the days before the visit, Erdoğan said he had spoken with Aliyev and sent his intelligence chief and foreign minister to Azerbaijan. He rejected talk of an irreparable rift, arguing that the countries shared history, culture and a future.
Shusha offered a deliberate setting for that message. Azerbaijani forces captured the city during the 2020 Karabakh war, and Erdoğan and Aliyev signed a declaration of allied relations there in June 2021.
Sunday brought a public display of solidarity, not an explanation of every disagreement. The two presidents said those seeking to weaken their bond would fail. Whether their recent differences have been resolved was less clear.