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TURKEY'S POTENTIAL INFLUENCE ON AZERI YOUTH
BARCIN YİNANC
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey8217s-potential-influence-on-the-azeri-youth-2011-05-24
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
I wonder if some in Azerbaijan felt a bit uneasy when they saw Nigar
and Eldar, the duo that won the Eurovision song contest, celebrating
their victory by waving a Turkish flag in front of millions of
European viewers.
For those promoting the motto of "one nation, two states" to describe
Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, this scene does not come as a surprise.
Yet it underlines a severe contrast in the different layers of the
two countries' bilateral ties.
While the motto of "one nation, two states" might reflect the mood in
people-to-people relations, it does not, however, reflect the current
mood at the state-to-state and government-to-government relations.
Take the visa issue for instance. When Turkey started talking about
visa free travel with its north and northeastern neighbors, one would
have thought Azerbaijan would have been the first to lift visas and
that Russia would have been the last. Russia, after all, could have
had concerns about lifting visas since many relatives of the ethnic
groups in Russia's troubled regions live in Turkey. In the past, there
have been cases when Turkish citizens said to be supporting rebels
fighting against Moscow were arrested in Russia's North Caucasus.
Yet in a surprise move, Russia has astonished many, including Turkish
and Russian experts, by agreeing to visa-free travel.
Turkish citizens can go to Russia without a visa, whereas they have
to get visas to enter Azerbaijan. What an ironic situation.
Some in Turkish official sources argue that the strong bonds between
the two nations, and especially the very big interest that exists
among the youth in Azerbaijan, make the old guard, with stronger
affinity to Russia, quiet uneasy.
While it is true that Turkey's reconciliation process with Armenia has
irritated Azerbaijan and led to a mutual mistrust, it is also not a
secret that the İlham Aliyev administration was never very fond of
the religious tinge to the ruling Justice and Development Party.
But the current state of affairs, which does not reflect the true
potential between the two countries, is not sustainable.
Whatever the outcome of the elections, hopefully the new government
will approach Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh problem in light of
the lessons taken from the recent efforts that failed to normalize
relations between Ankara and Armenia. This time, the new government
will probably be more careful in securing Baku's support for the
process of normalization. If the AKP returns to government as is
expected, Baku should be aware that it will not waste too much time
tackling the Armenian issue again. As such, stronger dialogue between
Ankara and Baku, based on confidence, will become more important than
ever, and it will be to the benefit of both sides.
The Aliyev leadership should understand that it cannot prevent Turkish
influence over the younger generations in the country. At a time when
some are debating the indirect role of Turkey in the Arab Spring,
one cannot expect the younger generations to turn their back on the
Turkish example.
BARCIN YİNANC
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey8217s-potential-influence-on-the-azeri-youth-2011-05-24
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
I wonder if some in Azerbaijan felt a bit uneasy when they saw Nigar
and Eldar, the duo that won the Eurovision song contest, celebrating
their victory by waving a Turkish flag in front of millions of
European viewers.
For those promoting the motto of "one nation, two states" to describe
Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, this scene does not come as a surprise.
Yet it underlines a severe contrast in the different layers of the
two countries' bilateral ties.
While the motto of "one nation, two states" might reflect the mood in
people-to-people relations, it does not, however, reflect the current
mood at the state-to-state and government-to-government relations.
Take the visa issue for instance. When Turkey started talking about
visa free travel with its north and northeastern neighbors, one would
have thought Azerbaijan would have been the first to lift visas and
that Russia would have been the last. Russia, after all, could have
had concerns about lifting visas since many relatives of the ethnic
groups in Russia's troubled regions live in Turkey. In the past, there
have been cases when Turkish citizens said to be supporting rebels
fighting against Moscow were arrested in Russia's North Caucasus.
Yet in a surprise move, Russia has astonished many, including Turkish
and Russian experts, by agreeing to visa-free travel.
Turkish citizens can go to Russia without a visa, whereas they have
to get visas to enter Azerbaijan. What an ironic situation.
Some in Turkish official sources argue that the strong bonds between
the two nations, and especially the very big interest that exists
among the youth in Azerbaijan, make the old guard, with stronger
affinity to Russia, quiet uneasy.
While it is true that Turkey's reconciliation process with Armenia has
irritated Azerbaijan and led to a mutual mistrust, it is also not a
secret that the İlham Aliyev administration was never very fond of
the religious tinge to the ruling Justice and Development Party.
But the current state of affairs, which does not reflect the true
potential between the two countries, is not sustainable.
Whatever the outcome of the elections, hopefully the new government
will approach Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh problem in light of
the lessons taken from the recent efforts that failed to normalize
relations between Ankara and Armenia. This time, the new government
will probably be more careful in securing Baku's support for the
process of normalization. If the AKP returns to government as is
expected, Baku should be aware that it will not waste too much time
tackling the Armenian issue again. As such, stronger dialogue between
Ankara and Baku, based on confidence, will become more important than
ever, and it will be to the benefit of both sides.
The Aliyev leadership should understand that it cannot prevent Turkish
influence over the younger generations in the country. At a time when
some are debating the indirect role of Turkey in the Arab Spring,
one cannot expect the younger generations to turn their back on the
Turkish example.