Doubts have been dispelled

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Baku was meant to dot the i's and cross the t's of a situation that has kept the Azerbaijani public in doubt for several months over Ankara's true intentions in normalizing its relations with Armenia. We can now say with confidence that there was none of the sensation expected by certain forces, both outside and inside Turkey and Azerbaijan, which were trying to drive a wedge between the two fraternal countries.

"I warn the forces that are trying to damage relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey not to waste their time, as they will fail anyway," Erdogan said, ahead of his visit to Baku. Judging by the outcome of the visit, he has succeeded in dispelling all possible doubts on that score.

During his meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his address to the Azerbaijani parliament, the Turkish Prime Minister repeatedly and clearly said that the border between Turkey and Armenia will not open as long as Azerbaijani lands are under occupation. "Turkey has always favoured, and still favours, a solution to the Karabakh conflict on the basis of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and international law," Erdogan stressed. Touching on the issue of continuing Armenian-Turkish talks, he said that during the talks, Ankara is trying "to attain peace on Azerbaijani land and to return all refugees to their homes".

The convincing words of the Turkish Prime Minister allowed the President of Azerbaijan to say that all the doubts which have caused protests in our country over the possible opening of the Armenian-Turkish border, have been dispelled. "My brother Erdogan answered all the questions, and I believe that there is no room for speculation," Ilham Aliyev said.

Thus the lack of understanding between Azerbaijan and Turkey, caused by the "border" upheavals, can already be regarded as a thing of the past. Nevertheless, the latest events make it possible to underline that the famous postulate "one nation - two states" on which relations between the two countries are based, does not tolerate a unilateral approach, since the key point of this postulate concerns not just the single nation, but also the two states, each of which has its own interests, which sometimes contradict each other.

For example, it is clear that in their approach to regional problems, the interests of Baku and Ankara may not always coincide absolutely, for the simple reason that Azerbaijan is now the leading state in the South Caucasus, while Turkey is trying to assert itself as a leading power in several regions at once - the Black Sea - Caspian region and the Middle East, not to mention Ankara's significant geopolitical role on the southeastern borders of Europe, at the junction of Europe and Asia and its growing ambitions in the Islamic world.

As a matter of fact, in its imperial ambitions, Ankara sees, first and foremost, the expediency of developing a dialogue with Yerevan, which has caused quite understandable protest in Azerbaijan.

Or take the problems in the sphere of energy security. Erdogan's visit proved that there are still differences between Baku and Ankara over the price of Azerbaijani natural gas supplied to Turkey. At a joint news conference with Ilham Aliyev, Recep Tayyip Erdogan shied away from giving a clear answer to the question as to why Turkey is opposed to the export of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, although it buys it at almost a quarter of the price paid to Russia. He simply said that this issue had been discussed with the Azerbaijani President, who stressed that "the agreement that has been discussed dictates the need to reconsider the price in accordance with oil prices".

However, all these differences in approach to issues that are solved in working order do not alter the fact that the main lesson for Baku and Ankara to learn is their ability to rise above all contradictions at the decisive moment and follow a single policy in solving issues of paramount importance to both sides. Among them, the issue of Karabakh and the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity take the most important place.

This subject, discussed by Erdogan in Baku, will continue during his visit to Russia. Ankara has let it be known that it is trying to secure the withdrawal of Armenian forces from at least some of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan at the current stage of Karabakh negotiations, and this issue will occupy centre stage during the Turkish Prime Minister's talks with the Russian leadership. Whether Turkey manages to persuade Russia will become clear in the near future, especially as the latter will host the next meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents, due to take place in St Petersburg in early June. The results of this meeting will affect the further prospects for a peaceful settlement, which has still not been achieved through the fault of Armenia, which does not want to withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani territories, and the co-chair states of the OSCE Minsk Group which do not have the courage to condemn Yerevan's policy and to exert pressure on it. So, current events, following Turkey's activity in the peace process, may draw a line under the long-lasting and unproductive mission of the Minsk Group if the St Petersburg talks see no progress.

This is quite possible, and this persuades Turkey and Azerbaijan once again that differences in the tactical interests of the two fraternal states should never prevail over the strategic goals of Baku and Ankara, which clearly coincide at heart.

The "spring crisis" in bilateral relations seems to have been overcome.