Although Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that its territory would not be used for any military operations against Iran, on March 5, the mullah regime attacked Nakhchivan with drones. It has been technically confirmed that four unmanned aerial vehicles were directed by the Iranian Armed Forces to carry out attacks towards Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan region. During the incident, 4 Azerbaijani citizens were injured, and significant damage was caused to infrastructure, including Nakhchivan International Airport.
Immediately after the incident, the most severe legal assessment of the events was provided at the Security Council meeting chaired by President Ilham Aliyev. The head of state condemned this treacherous act of the Islamic Republic of Iran against our country without any justification, emphasizing that Azerbaijan has not participated and will not participate in any operations against Iran. The incident also caused a serious international resonance, with over 40 countries worldwide expressing solidarity with Azerbaijan and strongly condemning the incident.
Yesterday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also called Ilham Aliyev, providing an explanation regarding the situation and promising that the matter would be investigated.
Iran, which had launched missile attacks on 12 countries, retreated and apologized to its neighbors due to the strong reaction provoked by its attack on Azerbaijan. At such a time, Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a member of the DEM party in the parliament of fraternal Turkey, made a biased statement, and his remarks were met with serious protest in both Azerbaijan and fraternal Turkey. Alongside him, unfounded accusations against Azerbaijan began to be voiced by a marginal radical group in Turkey, primarily through social media. Even Turkey's Disinformation Combat Agency (DMA) issued a statement on March 7 against disinformation regarding Azerbaijan-Turkey relations on this topic.
Modern.az sought to ascertain the position of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Turkey's main opposition party, regarding the attack on Nakhchivan.
In a statement to our website, CHP Deputy Chairman for National Defense Policies Yankı Bağcıoğlu stated that as a party, they understand Azerbaijan's legitimate concerns:
"We are following the news of drone attacks carried out by Iran on the territory of fraternal Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan with deep concern. The unbreakable bonds of brotherhood between Turkey and Azerbaijan, based on the motto 'one nation, two states,' further strengthen our common concern and solidarity in such incidents. As the CHP, we fully understand and share Azerbaijan's legitimate concerns regarding its security within its territory and the threats directed at its borders. Attacks targeting a country's sovereignty, civilian settlements, and infrastructure, which violate international law, can never be accepted."
Yankı Bağcıoğlu emphasized that they consider it important to return to a state of peace and stability in the region as soon as possible:
"However, the scale of ongoing conflicts in the region, unfortunately, covers a wide geography. Regrettably, Turkey has also borne its share of this escalation. Missile remnants falling in Hatay have bitterly demonstrated that the flames of war know no borders and threaten our country as well. Considering all these developments and the current situation, as the CHP, we sincerely support all efforts aimed at the region's swift return to a state of peace and stability. Given the propaganda and disinformation environment brought about by war itself, it is of great importance for all population groups to act carefully, cautiously, and without engaging in provocations."
Republican People's Party Foreign Policy Coordinator İlhan Üzgel stated that the attack on Azerbaijan is unacceptable:
"As the Republican People's Party, we are against the attacks by the US and Israel on our neighbor Iran. Nevertheless, we maintain a distance from the Iranian regime's governance system. We do not accept or consider correct drone and similar attacks directed from Iran towards either Turkey or fraternal Azerbaijan. We believe that expanding the scope of the war and attacking countries that have declared they will not enter the war will not benefit Iran. We extend our wishes for a speedy recovery to fraternal Azerbaijan."
Ilhan Üzgel, noting that it is not appropriate to comment on Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu's speech, stated that the said deputy is responsible for his own remarks. The CHP official also reminded that a small number of radical groups cannot have any impact on Azerbaijan-Turkey relations.
"Since Faruk Gergerlioğlu is not a member of parliament from our party, it is not correct to comment on his speech. Our position is clear. He is responsible for his own statements. Our position, however, is known. Turkey is a country with a population of 86 million. The country our people feel closest to is Azerbaijan. There are approximately 600 members of parliament. Why should a statement made by a single individual affect relations? Given how strong our ties are, a politician's statement cannot have a negative impact either at the official level or among our peoples."
