Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Türkiye-Azerbaijan relations are not limited solely to the brotherly ties, security and interests of the two countries. They constitute a strategic partnership that directly affects the geopolitical, energy and transportation balances between Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Turkistan (Central Asia).
The relations between the two countries are also an important part of the global balance of power in terms of energy routes extending from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, the Middle Corridor, East-West trade and regional security.
Therefore, this partnership closely concerns the interests of many regions and actors, not only Ankara and Baku, but also Europe's energy security, China's access to Western markets, the integration of Turkistan (Central Asia) into the global system, and the economic and strategic future of the Turkic world.
In this context, the official visit paid by the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to Karabakh, Azerbaijan, on 8 November 2026, on the occasion of Azerbaijan's Victory Day, is highly significant, as it conveys important political and diplomatic messages concerning relations between the two countries and regional stability.
This is because relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan are not superficial ties whose course can be determined by temporary tensions. The brotherhood between the two countries has been shaped on the basis of a shared history, culture, language and mutual trust; it has been tested repeatedly by wars, political changes and regional developments. On every occasion, it has continued on its path by growing even stronger.
In this context, the messages delivered by President Erdoğan during his visit to Karabakh once again demonstrated the strong unity in the relations between the two brotherly countries. At the joint press conference held following the bilateral meeting between Erdoğan and Aliyev in Shusha, Azerbaijan, Erdoğan emphasised that the brotherhood between the two countries went far beyond their common language, history and culture, and recalled that relations had been elevated to the level of an alliance with the Shusha Declaration signed on 15 June 2021. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, for his part, stated that the unity between Türkiye and Azerbaijan was unshakable and that this historic visit conveyed a message of unity to the entire world.
The programme of Erdoğan's visit to Azerbaijan is also quite noteworthy in terms of the political significance it carries. The meeting of the two leaders in Shusha, their joint visits to the Khojaly Genocide Memorial and the Khankendi Victory Monument, as well as their meeting with the heroes of the Karabakh War, demonstrate the importance Türkiye attaches to Azerbaijan's historical memory, sovereignty and reconstruction process in Karabakh. The family photograph taken at the official dinner hosted in honour of President Erdoğan in Khankendi, under the auspices of Ilham Aliyev, also complemented the diplomatic dimension of the visit and became a symbol of unity and solidarity.
Türkiye-Azerbaijan relations would also be inadequately assessed if they were evaluated solely through the discourse of brotherhood. Economic cooperation between the two countries has an important strategic foundation in the fields of energy, trade, investment, transportation and defence. Stability in the South Caucasus is highly important in terms of the economic and political interests of both countries. In particular, the unity of Türkiye and Azerbaijan is decisive in terms of the functionality of the Middle Corridor and the development of international trade routes. This cooperation and unity contribute not only to the strengthening of the two countries but also to the connectivity capacity of the Turkic world between Europe and Asia. The Türkiye-Azerbaijan partnership also occupies a highly important position in terms of Europe's energy security, the diversification of global trade routes and the development of Eurasian transportation networks.
Alongside all these factors, the unity of the two countries is also of utmost importance for the future of the Organization of Turkic States.
In conclusion, the image of unity displayed by Erdoğan and Aliyev in Karabakh on Azerbaijan's Victory Day has once again demonstrated the political will to maintain and further advance the relations between the two countries by developing them within the framework of the bonds of brotherhood. Alongside all these factors, another issue that should be taken into consideration is that the unity of Türkiye and Azerbaijan is not limited solely to relations between the two states. This unity is also important in terms of the future of the Turkic world, stability in the South Caucasus, the development of the Middle Corridor and strategic connections between Europe and Asia. History has shown through experience that the brotherly peoples of Türkiye and Azerbaijan have always successfully overcome the challenges they have faced and continued on their path. From now on, too, the common future of the two countries will continue forever through the will for unity demonstrated by the peoples of these two brotherly countries. Because the sorrow and joy of the two countries are one and the same.
