Turkey and Azerbaijan have had relations since 1918. Turkey shares a common culture and history with Azerbaijan. In addition, Turkish and Azerbaijani are mutually intelligible. Turkey has been a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan in its efforts to consolidate its independence, preserve its territorial integrity and realize its economic potential arising from the rich natural resources of the Caspian Sea.

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Turkey supports the OSCE Minsk Group as a mechanism for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and views it from the principle of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Following a UN Security Council resolution on April 6, 1993, calling for the immediate withdrawal of Armenian forces from the Azerbaijani district of Kelbajar, Turkey joined Azerbaijan in imposing the full economic embargo on Armenia. In summer 1993, during the Armenian offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh War, Turkey has reinforced its border with Armenia and Prime Minister Tansu Ciller has warned that Turkey would not "sit with its arms crossed. Since 1993, Turkey has closed its land borders with Armenia demanding for Armenia to withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh and 7 surrounding districts of Azerbaijan. Turkey has also set this demand as a precondition for establishing diplomatic relations with Armenia.

Turkey supported various indirect bilaterial talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia, initiated trilateral dialogue (Reykjavik, 2002 & Istanbul Summit, 2004) among the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia. However, Turkey's diplomatic efforts in this regard are hampered by its own conflict with Armenia over the claim of Armenian Genocide.

Economic cooperation

Turkey is a partner in the lucrative Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline which bypasses Armenian territory for political reasons. In 2007, Turkey together with the Republic of Georgia and Azerbaijan, started the construction of Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railroad, also bypassing Armenia.

See also

• Turkic peoples
• Turkic languages
• Ottoman Empire

References