Reflections of the Azerbaijan independence struggle in the Turkish press (1988-1991)

In this study, the effects of the struggle for the independence of Azerbaijan, which took place in 1988-1991, on the Turkish press were examined. In the content of the study, the newspaper and magazines between the years mentioned were the main sources of analysis and the evaluations of the news agencies on the subject were also examined. The "glasnost" and "perestroika" initiated by the USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev led to significant developments in Azerbaijan. Armenia's claim to Karabakh has led to escalation of tensions. In this direction, the Azerbaijani people gathered under the leadership of Abulfez Elchibey organized important rallies. Azerbaijan which broke away from the USSR in October 1991, declared itself an independent state. Turkey has attempted to develop appropriate policies for Azerbaijan in the foreign market, regional dominance, international friendship principles and other areas. In the study, the attitude of the Turkish press while the change and transformation movements in Azerbaijan took place was examined. In this context, especially press organs with different views from each other have been included. This the approach of the Turkish press to the struggle for independence was discussed. While examining the media organs, it was evaluated how the nationalist, Islamist and socialist masses in Turkey interpreted the Azerbaijani independence struggle. The Turkish press gave a lot of coverage to the news about the Azerbaijani independence struggle. As a matter of fact, Azerbaijani news has the feature of being news on the first pages of newspapers. Magazines on the other hand published special issues for Azerbaijan. Turkish correspondents went to Azerbaijan and gathered information. Articles on Azerbaijan in different fields were included in the press. Nationalist press organs emphasized that Turkey's policies towards Azerbaijan should be more sincere and national. In this context, it is stated that is should not be forgotten that the ethnic identity of the people in the region is Turkish. The radical nationalist press organs also demanded the separation of Azerbaijan from the USSR and the creation of "Turkish unity" in the region. Islamist media organs, on the other hand, stated that Christian countries around the world attacked Azerbaijan as a unit, that Muslim countries should cooperate and fight against the crusader mentality, and heavily criticized Turkey's secular and western foreign policy. Left wing press organs stated that the reason for the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia was racism. At the same time, he noted that if the nationalist movements from the Stalin era continued, the disagreements would prolong. The socialist press defended the view that the problem would be solved by returning to the scene of the socialist system. In this context, it was stated that Turkey should stay away from nationalist initiatives and an attitude was displayed in favor of the communist system was taken. KEYWORDS : Azerbaijan, Turkish Press, Karabakh, USSR, Politics.