One nation - two states: who gave the right to dictate to Azerbaijan?

Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood is based on mutual respect and equal partnership. These relations do not give any political representative the right to speak to Azerbaijan in the language of directives. On the contrary, the high status obliges special responsibility in statements about an allied state.

The wording about the need to "abandon this mistake," used in the publications of the chief advisor to the President of Turkey, Oktay Saral, and the representative of the Justice and Development Party, Leyla Şahin Usta, first and foremost raises the question: who authorized them to pass verdicts on Azerbaijan's domestic policy?

Taking an interest in events in a brotherly country, requesting information, and expressing opinions is entirely natural. However, demanding that an entire state change its approach without presenting factual and legal justification for the claims is a position poorly compatible with political responsibility. Especially when it concerns Azerbaijan, relations with which have been elevated to the level of alliance.

The problem lies not only in the harshness of the expressions. Far more significant is the approach itself: evaluating Azerbaijan's decisions from the position of an external arbiter and expecting Baku to follow someone else's directives. In an equal partnership, there are no grounds for such a tone.

Principles adopted in Shusha must not be forgotten on social media

One of the most precise responses to this polemic is contained in the Shusha Declaration signed by Azerbaijan and Turkey. The document enshrines independence, sovereignty, and non-interference in the internal affairs of states as principles of allied relations.

Consequently, respect for Azerbaijan's sovereign decisions is not a matter of personal sympathies. It is a requirement of the very model of relations agreed upon by the two states.

Turkish political representatives are naturally expected to observe these principles. Mutual respect, established at the interstate level, must remain a guiding principle for public statements by officials as well.

In the formula "One nation – two states," the words "two states" carry independent meaning. Azerbaijan is an independent country possessing its own state will, constitutional order, and national interests. Brotherhood strengthens this independence and does not grant anyone the right to claim political guardianship over Baku.

A position does not substitute for evidence

In Oktay Saral's publication, harsh assessments are directed at Azerbaijan, and what is happening is presented as "ideological imposition." However, the text provides no legal justification for such a conclusion. In Leyla Şahin Usta's publication, an emotional reaction to video footage likewise becomes the basis for calling on Azerbaijan to "abandon its mistake."

A high position does not turn an assertion into an established