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Turkish representative: Azerbaijan-Türkiye cooperation creates a strategic model in Turkic World

Yashar Sari, director of the Heydar Aliyev Eurasian Studies Center of Ibn Khaldun University

24 November 2025 14:57 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan-Türkiye relations are not only bilateral relations, but have also formed a model of strategic importance for the entire Turkic World. The historical, political, and institutional aspects of cooperation between Turkic states allow for a broader assessment of the issue, said Yashar Sari, director of the Heydar Aliyev Eurasian Studies Center of Ibn Khaldun University, at a forum held in Shusha, APA's regional correspondent reports.

"Relations between Turkic peoples are older than interstate relations, and these relations have developed both at the level of peoples and various legal and public institutions. The leaders of Azerbaijan and Türkiye play a significant role in this process. In particular, the activities of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev aimed at ensuring rapprochement between the Turkic states are one of the main turning points. The Ankara Declaration, signed during Heydar Aliyev's visit to Türkiye in February 1994, laid the foundation for taking concrete steps in bilateral relations, as well as for the formation of a new line of cooperation in the Turkic World.

With the agreement signed in Nakhchivan in 2009, the union of Turkic-speaking states was institutionalized in the format of the "Turkic Council". At this stage, the political will and initiatives of President Ilham Aliyev played an important role. As a result, the establishment of the Organization of Turkic States in 2021 further strengthened the integration process. Both bilateral and multilateral relations between Turkic states are built on three main principles: common identity, common interests, and economic mutual benefit.

The existence of consensus on Turkic identity, including energy and transport Cooperation in the fields forms the basis of this integration. Despite the pressures Azerbaijan faced in energy policy in the 1990s, thanks to Heydar Aliyev's political courage, Baku oil was exported to world markets via Türkiye. This both strengthened the foundation of the Azerbaijan-Türkiye strategic partnership and created new geopolitical opportunities for the Turkic World. Today, the rapid development of the Organization of Turkic States has been possible thanks to the consistent political will of Azerbaijan and Türkiye, the reconciliation of common identity and economic interests.