Turkey-Azerbaijan relations in the light of historical developments and energy politics

This study aims at a perpetual power struggle on Azerbaijani land since the creation of the Ottoman State till today. During the Ottoman period, the governments that were founded on the territory of Azerbaijan tended to be passive and tried to solve conflicts through diplomacy; at the same time, the Ottoman State, which was able to easily maintain its dominance by weakening other contending governments in the region, emerged as one of the region's most effective powers. The Great Timur Empire, the Karakoyunlu State, the Akkoyunlu State, the Shirvanshahs, and lastly the Safavid State all fought for control of the region. The historical context of Turkey-Azerbaijan ties, these states, and the Ottoman Empire's fight were discussed. During this time, adequate communication and interactions between nations and peoples who considered each other as a danger could not be formed, or there was a constant environment of conflict, either passively or actively. The Treaty of Kucuk Kaynarca, which established the Ottoman Empire's sovereignty over the region and granted it to Tsarist Russia, played a significant role in forging such interlocking links under these conditions. Tsarist Russia, seeing the territory's dense Turkish population as a threat, attempted to evict or frighten the Turks in the region through forced migration, massacres, and assimilation. The Azerbaijan Turks were subjected to a particularly harsh pressure environment, which was aimed squarely at the Caucasian peoples. The Armenians in the region attacked unarmed and innocent buildings, seizing control of the territory's resources and taking control of the region. Azerbaijanis, who had been subjected to widespread slaughter and persecution, banded together under the leadership of Mehmet Emin Resulzade and petitioned the Ottoman Empire for assistance. The Azerbaijanis, whose aid was well accepted, assembled under Nuri Pasha's leadership and sent for assistance. The Caucasus Islamic Army will preserve Azerbaijanis and Azerbaijani territories from Armenian and Russian murders and occupations, as well as become the future core of the Azerbaijani army. Economic ties were added to the close links generated by historical ties in Turkey and Azerbaijan's emerging and still developing relations after independence, and these developing economic contacts have now reached the status of "strategic partnership." It will be discussed how these ties, which are primarily based on energy pipelines, have influenced or affected the strategic postures of the two countries in the region. The consequences of Turkey and Azerbaijan's East-West line on regional and non-regional states will be discussed. Apart from European Union countries that buy substantial amounts of energy from Russia, Georgia, which is involved in the projects and is one of the region's countries, will be mentioned, as will Italy and Greece, which are outside the region's actors, as well as Armenia, Iran, and how these energy lines influence Russia.