Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev completed a two-day visit to Turkey after attending the leaders’ summit at the United Nations COP31 climate conference in Antalya. The trip, made at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, drew particular attention after weeks of discussion about differences between Baku and Ankara.
Aliyev arrived at the Antalya Expo Center on Nov. 11, where Erdoğan and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the visiting heads of state and government, according to the Azerbaijani president’s office.
First lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva also attended the summit. The leaders posed for a group photograph after the welcoming ceremony.
Visit Followed Erdoğan’s Trip to Azerbaijan
Aliyev’s visit came days after Erdoğan traveled to Azerbaijan on Nov. 8. The two presidents held talks in Shusha and attended Victory Day events.
The consecutive visits followed public discussion in the media and among analysts about tensions in Azerbaijani-Turkish relations. Differences over several regional issues had raised questions about the state of the strategic partnership.
Against that background, the two leaders’ contacts carry added political significance and show that high-level dialogue continues. They do not, however, establish that every disagreement between the allies has been resolved.
Aliyev’s trip was for an international climate summit rather than a separate bilateral meeting. The published official information contained no announcement of new Azerbaijani-Turkish agreements.
Erdoğan Thanks Azerbaijan for COP29 Experience
Guterres and the leaders of Australia, Ethiopia and Brazil addressed the opening ceremony, along with Erdoğan.
According to the Azerbaijani president’s office, Erdoğan thanked Azerbaijan and Brazil for sharing their experience hosting previous climate conferences. Baku hosted COP29 in 2024, and Azerbaijan’s participation at COP31 continued its work on the international climate agenda.
Trip Ended Nov. 11
Aliyev arrived in Antalya on the evening of Nov. 10. Turkish officials who met him at the airport included Binali Yıldırım, chairman of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States.
The Azerbaijani president’s office announced the trip’s completion on the evening of Nov. 11. Yıldırım, ruling Justice and Development Party deputy chairman Kürşad Zorlu, Antalya Gov. Hulusi Şahin and other Turkish officials saw Aliyev and Mehriban Aliyeva off at the airport.
The rapid sequence of visits, first Erdoğan to Azerbaijan and then Aliyev to Turkey, shows that the allies have maintained intensive contact after the recent tensions. The future direction of the relationship will depend on concrete decisions and actions by both governments.
Source: Vesti Baku.