Azerbaijani retailer proprietor Ibrahim Mammadov purchased a material press machine and commenced promoting Turkish flags the second the Nagorno-Karabakh battle flared again up final month.
He says it couldn’t have been a wiser funding.
Mammadov sells as much as 100 of them a day within the second metropolis of Ganja as combating between Azerbaijanis and ethnic Armenian rumbles on within the mountains hovering on the horizon.
Gross sales have been particularly brisk because the western Azerbaijan metropolis was hit final weekend by a missile that killed 10 civilians in the course of the evening.
“Everybody desires to purchase a Turkish flag,” Mammadov mentioned. “Everybody desires to hold a Turkish flag subsequent to the Azerbaijani one.”
Robust pro-Turkish emotions have enveloped Azerbaijan because the newest bout of combating broke out.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly thanked Turkey for help that analysts have described as a game-changing issue within the present battle.
“We’re prepared to present every kind of help to our Azerbaijani brothers and we’d do that once more,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed in a speech on Wednesday.
– ‘Gratitude’ –
Armenians on the opposite facet of the combating say Turkey’s backing of Azerbaijan solely confirms the angle of a rustic that refuses to acknowledge the genocide of Armenians within the Ottoman Empire throughout World Struggle I.
Turkey’s involvement has additionally exasperated its NATO allies. French President Emmanuel Macron accuses Turkey of crossing a “pink line” by sending Syrian fighters to Azerbaijan. Erdogan on Wednesday denied the declare.
Turkey and Azerbaijan share solely a sliver of a land border — between jap Turkey and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan.
However the two nations have sturdy cultural hyperlinks and their individuals can perceive one another’s languages with out interpreters.
The keenness Azerbaijanis show for the Turks seems mutual: a whole bunch have been driving round Istanbul in organised rallies and flying the 2 Muslim nations’ flags because the newest Karabakh hostilities resumed on September 27.
The phrase “one nation, two nations” has grow to be the mantra of prime politicians in each nations prior to now weeks.
“After all we help the honourable Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” Ganja mayor Niyazi Bayramov informed AFP whereas inspecting the missile’s strike harm on Tuesday.
“We specific our gratitude to him. The Turkish persons are at all times with us.”
Turkey is now pushing for four-way talks with the warring sides and Russia to lastly resolve hostilities which have festered because the Soviet Union’s collapse.
Armenia is resolutely towards Turkey’s involvement however Mammadov is all for it. “That’s what we’d like,” mentioned the ironmongery store proprietor.
“Each time we hear that Turkey is supporting us, it lifts our spirits.”
– ‘Massive brother’ –
Turkey’s push into the previous Soviet south Caucasus has examined the boundaries of Erdogan’s alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Analysts worry Turkey and Russia getting instantly drawn into the battle and sparking an excellent graver regional warfare.
But not one of the civilians AFP has talked with on the Azerbaijani facet of the battle prior to now week have mentioned they needed Turkey to ship in tanks or troops.
“We will win this,” mentioned pensioner Natiq Alizade whereas consuming tea on a veranda together with his buddies.
“We’ve defeated the Armenians earlier than and we’ll defeat them once more if they do not contain third events,” he mentioned, a reference to Armenia’s navy ally Russia.
A 1994 ceasefire ended a six-year warfare that claimed 30,000 lives and left Armenians controlling Karabakh and a number of other surrounding areas of Azerbaijan.
However Baku has by no means hidden its need to regain management of Karabakh, whose self-declared independence has by no means been recognised by every other state.
“Nobody was listening to our voice in that warfare,” mentioned the ironmongery store proprietor. “Our expectation from Turkey now could be their ethical help.”
Close by store proprietor Alifsalam Aledinov mentioned Azerbaijan anticipated Turkey to be “the primary nation to face at our facet. The second is Pakistan.”
“We see President (Erdogan) as our huge brother,” mentioned the pensioner Alizade.
“We love him and all his statements make us hopeful. As a result of we all know that tomorrow, with him, it is going to be a a lot better day.”
