One of the most pressing issues on the agenda of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev\u2019s visit to T\u00fcrkiye on March 5-6, 2025, was the position of the two allies about shifting the global and regional balance of power.<\/p>\n
Aliyev\u2019s visit to Ankara coincided with a period that included U.S.-Russia rapprochement, which began with Donald Trump becoming U.S. president for the second time; the U.S. cutting off military, intelligence and financial aid to Ukraine; and the divergence of U.S. and EU policy toward Ukraine and Russia. Some suggest that these developments, specifically Trump\u2019s contacts with Russia, directly result from a broader strategy to isolate China and draw Russia to the U.S. side. When discussions are taking place about forming a new world order, the process of questioning traditional alliances will also have consequences for the South Caucasus and the Turkic geography, where Azerbaijan and T\u00fcrkiye\u00a0play an active role<\/a>.<\/p>\n A similar situation occurred in 2008 during the policy reset period pursued by the Barack Obama administration. According to certain academic interpretations, the goal of the Obama administration was to contain China. Hence, in 2008, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, announced the “Reset” policy and recognized the South Caucasus and Central Asia as regions belonging to Russia\u2019s sphere of influence. It is assumed that the reason the administration did not speak out against the annexation of Crimea in 2014 was due to this specific policy with Russia.<\/p>\n During that period, T\u00fcrkiye and Azerbaijan took a preventive role in the security of the South Caucasus. First, T\u00fcrkiye proposed the South Caucasus cooperation platform. Later in 2010, Azerbaijan and T\u00fcrkiye signed an agreement on strategic partnership and mutual assistance. Finally, trilateral talks in the Azerbaijan-T\u00fcrkiye-Georgia format were initiated in 2011. In a way, T\u00fcrkiye had assumed leadership here. Thus, as a consequence of the new order, Azerbaijan and T\u00fcrkiye took on important roles in the South Caucasus, specifically through various forms of joint cooperation.<\/p>\n This new era brings considerable challenges. According to some pundits, the U.S. making concessions to Russia on the Ukraine issue may not be enough for the normalization of its relations with Moscow. Additionally, Donald Trump may also make certain concessions regarding the South Caucasus and Central Asia. It must be noted that in recent years, comprehensive cooperation between Azerbaijan, T\u00fcrkiye and Russia has served as the primary cause of stability and cooperation in the region. However, the disruption of this balance may lead to undesirable consequences and inspire aggressive attitudes of other regional powers. It may also harm the currently ongoing cooperation and integration process of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).<\/p>\nWhat to expect from the future?<\/strong><\/h3>\n