Why did Erdogan call Ilham Aliyev?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on Oct. 21. The leaders’ contact carries particular geostrategic significance amid tensions recently observed on some platforms between the two countries.

How could the call affect the current state of Azerbaijan-Türkiye relations, and what is expected from the upcoming Organization of Turkic States (OTS) summit?

Elkhan Shahinoglu, head of the Atlas Research Center and a political analyst, told "Operativ Məlumat Mərkəzi-OMM" that direct dialogue between the leaders would play an important role in easing tensions:

“I believe that the phone call between the presidents of Türkiye and Azerbaijan could play an important role in easing the tensions recently observed between the two countries. Moreover, the Organization of Turkic States summit will be held in Ankara on the 29th and 30th of this month. Azerbaijan is due to hand over the chairmanship to Türkiye at the summit, and President Ilham Aliyev will most likely attend. One of the main reasons Erdogan called the Azerbaijani president was probably to invite Ilham Aliyev to the summit. It can be expected that a bilateral meeting will be held on the sidelines of the summit and that important views will be exchanged to fully resolve the tensions.”

The political analyst recalled the historical experience of 2009, emphasizing that the leaders’ resolve was decisive:

“When tensions arose in 2009, direct contact between the leaders played an exceptional role in normalizing relations and later raising them to the level of an alliance. At the time, Türkiye’s government decided to open the border with Armenia, prompting dissatisfaction in Azerbaijan. Then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan later came to Baku and told the Azerbaijani parliament that Türkiye would not open its border with Armenia or restore diplomatic relations until Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity was ensured. Erdogan has remained true to that promise, which helped advance relations afterward.”

Shahinoglu concluded by stressing the importance of the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of brotherly countries:

“I believe this latest tension will also be resolved through dialogue. The important thing is that, although the ‘One nation, two states’ concept remains in force, interference in the domestic affairs of states is unacceptable. I believe both sides will continue to uphold these principles and this policy.”