(Eurasianet) -- As they eagerly pursue an expansion of trade relations with the West, the leaders of Turkic states in Eurasia are clearly wary of importing Western values. This dichotomy of interests was on full display at a recent summit of Turkic heads of state, hosted by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Aliyev, in his openingremarksat the meeting, held in the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Shusha, voiced a desire for the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) to develop into an “influential global entity” capable of protecting regional interests and practices from outside influence.
“The OTS should become one of the prominent international forces,” Aliyev said. “The commitment of our peoples to traditional values and their shared ethnic roots closely bind our countries. The 21st century must be a century of progress for the Turkic world.”
After lauding traditional values and shared heritage, however, Aliyev emphasized the importance of boosting trade, saying “the expansion of the East-West transport corridor is one of our top priorities.”
His sentiments were echoed by other participants, including Kazakhstan’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who told attendees that “the full potential of the Trans-Caspian international transport route must be utilized.”
The OTS comprises Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Three other nations, Hungary, Turkmenistan and the de facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, have observer status. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who attended the Shusha summit, described the OTS as a “very important organization for cooperation between the West and East.”
Aliyev urged his fellow heads of state to show greater commitment to the OTS via increased budget allocations. Azerbaijan recently contributed $2 million to enhance the OTS secretariat.
The Azerbaijani leader’s efforts to bolster the OTS come at a time when Baku’s relations with the West have deteriorated. Over the past year, Aliyev and other top Azerbaijani officials have not hesitated to air grievances againsttheU.S.,FranceandtopEuropeanbodies. In his inaugural address in February, Aliyev signaled furtherdivergencefrom the West, speaking exultantly about pan-Turkic cooperation.
Aliyev may want to be an important trade partner with the West, but he clearly is not going to be a friend.
“Should everyone sit and listen to the words of those who live in some Western countries? Who has given them this right? Their past is nothing to be proud of. Their past is full of blood. Their past is colonialism,” he said in public comments made in June. “We don’t listen to anyone’s orders; we don’t allow anyone to come here and interfere in our work. Don’t hit me and I won’t hit you. If you are going to hit me, then you will also get a headache.”
