Reflections of Azerbaijan's independence procces on the Grand National Assembly of Turkey

After the Second World War, the world found itself in the Cold War Era. One of the two great powers of this period was the USSR. The USSR ended its life at the end of 1991 and the republics began to declare their independence. One of these republics is Azerbaijan. The most important issue of Azerbaijan, both in the period of its struggle for independence and in the years after it gained its independence, is their lives with Armenia. In 1985, Gorbachev implemented the "Glasnost" and "Perestroika" policies. Nationalist mobilization began in the states and communities within the USSR. In this period, Armenia started to want Nagorno- Karabakh, which is connected to Azerbaijan. Armenia requested this region from Moscow in 1987, forced Azerbaijani Turks here in 1988 to migrate, and killed those who opposed it. In the same period, Armenians were migrated here and the population distribution of Karabakh was manipulated. During the struggle for independence in Azerbaijan, the name Ebulfez Elchibey came to the fore. For this reason, Elçibey was sent to prison. After Elchibey returned, he completed the establishment of the Azerbaijan Popular Front in 1989 and became its head. At the end of 1989, there were reactions to the administration in Azerbaijan due to the development of Armenia's annexation of Karabakh. For this reason, Russian soldiers entered Baku in 1990 and the "Black January" event took place. In this period, Azerbaijan struggled both to gain its independence and to oppose the Karabakh policies of Armenia supported by the USSR. Ayaz Muttalibov came to the head of Azerbaijan in May 1990. The attacks of Armenia continued during the Muttalibov period, which started under the martial law of the Russians. Many Turks lost their lives during this period. In August 1990, Armenia declared its independence and Karabakh was dependent on it. Azerbaijan declared its independence on August 30, 1991, which it recognized as the "National Awakening" day. It gained its independence in October with the approval of its parliament. In September, Muttalibov became the sole candidate and was elected president. The Azerbaijan Popular Front, which called Muttalibov the "Man of Moscow" and fought for independence, could not agree with Muttalibov on the Karabakh issue. Azerbaijan ended the National Freedom Movement on the day it ratified its independence. Azerbaijan's diplomatic contact with Armenia on the Karabakh issue also started in this process. In November 1991, the helicopter carrying Azerbaijani politicians and diplomats was shot down, and the "Karakend Disaster" took place. After this incident, diplomatic negotiations ended. During this period when Armenia's persecution of Azerbaijani Turks continued, the "Khojaly Massacre" took place in February 1992. After Muttalibov, who had to resign in March, Parliament Speaker Mammadov acted as the head of state. Ebülfez Elçibey was elected as the head of state in June 1992. At the beginning of the Elchibey period, Russian soldiers were able to be expelled from Azerbaijan and some of the territories taken by Armenia were taken back. But over time, it has been seen that these places, and especially Kelbecer, were once again in the hands of the Armenians. The activity that started in Baku after these losses led to the end of the Elchibey period in June 1993, about a year later. During all these developments in Azerbaijan, the policy followed by Turkey came to the fore with its contradictions. Between 1990 and 1993, three separate governments served in Turkey, where the President was Turgut Özal. Firstly, the 47th Government under Yıldırım Akbulut as the prime minister, and secondly, the 48th Government under the Prime Ministership of Mesut Yılmaz, after Akbulut lost the chairmanship, was formed by ANAP. In 1991, with the 49th government, namely the DYP-SHP Coalition Government, Süleyman Demirel was the prime minister and Erdal İnönü was the deputy prime minister. The period covered in the thesis is arranged to include the presidency of Muttalibov and Elchibey for Azerbaijan and Turgut Özal for Turkey. In this context, Demirel was elected president in May after Özal's death in April 1993. In this period when its domestic policy was active, one of the most important diplomatic issues that would affect Turkey's domestic policy was Azerbaijan. In these processes, in which Azerbaijan was supported by approaching with national feelings, Turkey adopted a policy of neutrality. Turkey has remained in the shadow of the United Nations Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, saying that it cannot act separately from the world. With the independence of many Turkish Republics in the early 1990s, the eyes of the world were turned to Turks. In this period, Turkey had to act cautiously because of the problems in many regions where language, religion, history and cultural unity were experienced. The issues that came to the fore in this period are as follows: What happened in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, and Crimea, as well as the PKK's terrorist acts in the country, Armenia's constant bringing 1915 to the agenda and support especially from the USA, the country's the presence of the Hammer Force stationed in the southeast, the pressures on the Turks in Bulgaria. In this period when Turkey was experiencing difficulties, the sensitivity about Azerbaijan could not be reflected in the political discourse and actions. As a matter of fact, President Turgut Özal's emphasis on the "Shiite-Sunni" difference between Azerbaijani Turks and us has garnered a lot of reaction. In addition, the following developments have caused the trust in Turkey to be shaken: Prime Minister Yıldırım Akbulut's statement that it is not right to interfere in another country's internal affairs, wheat sent to Armenia as "humanitarian aid" during the coalition period, electricity aid, Prime Minister Demirel's statement that they act together with the world, Hikmet Çetin's CSCE decisions speech, Onur Kumbaracıbaşı's statement that Karabakh is a matter of Azeris and Armenians, Ebulfez Elçibey's request for a helicopter was not accepted. In the early 1990s, when Azerbaijan was fighting for independence and not losing its lands against Armenia, its relations with Turkey remained within the scope of these issues. The ideas of the ruling and opposition parties about the developments in Azerbaijan came to the fore in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. In this thesis, Parliamentary Sessions in which Azerbaijan is on the agenda were scanned. Archival documents, newspapers and research works have also been used in the thesis, which is based on the minutes.