Why did Azerbaijan deny Turkey’s direct participation in the 2020 war against Artsakh?
Azerbaijan expert and Ph.D. in History, Tatev Ayrapetyan, discusses Erdogan’s recent awkward remarks for Azerbaijan on RE:PUBLIC PRESS.
Recently, Turkish leader Erdogan stated that Turkey could enter Israel as it did in “Libya and Karabakh.”
In response, Azerbaijan issued the following message: “The participation of foreign servicemen in the battles for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is unfounded.”
Azerbaijan avoided responding officially but addressed the statement through an anonymous source in the Ministry of Defense.
Notably, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense is effectively led by Turkish General Bakhtiyar Ersay. Reports about him surfaced in 2020 when he, along with several other Turkish generals, took command of the Azerbaijani army.
During the 44-day war, the Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and the First Deputy Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan, Najmeddin Sadikov, suddenly “disappeared.” Sadikov was one of the few remaining members of the “old guard,” appointed by Heydar Aliyev, the father of the current President, before 2003. He was allegedly accused of treason and cooperation with Russian military intelligence, opposing “Turkish dominance in the leadership of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan.” It wasn’t until January 2021 that his dismissal was officially confirmed. In July 2021, Lieutenant General Karim Valiyev was appointed as the Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
The absence of a clear leader in the Azerbaijani Army during the 2020 Artsakh War indicates that others, particularly Turkish officers, were in command. While Azerbaijan’s top military post was vacant, the Russian newspaper Vzglyad identified two Turkish generals, Lieutenant General Sheref Ongay, the 3rd Army Commander, and Major General Bakhtiyar Ersay of the Special Forces Command, as de facto leaders. President Aliyev has openly acknowledged Turkish involvement in his speeches, expressing deep gratitude for their significant assistance.
After the war, Ersay remained in Azerbaijan, leading a special command group and effectively serving as the leader of the Azerbaijani army. In August 2022, Erdogan promoted Ersay to lieutenant general. That same year, Ersay began appearing frequently in Azerbaijani media. In one episode of the AzTV program in 2022, Ersay discussed the 44-day war, joint military exercises, and emphasized the principle of “one nation, two states.” In Azerbaijan, he is referred to as Bakhtiyar Pasha.
In December 2022, Ersay was appointed an adviser to the Azerbaijani Minister of Defense. Azerbaijani sources reported this, citing official information from the final meeting of the Ministry of Defense’s board in 2022. At the meeting, Ersay spoke about the achievements resulting from reforms and efforts to align the Azerbaijani army more closely with the Turkish army.
The fact that Bakhtiyar Ersay serves as an adviser to the Azerbaijani Minister of Defense had not been previously disclosed. Ersay, the commander of the Turkish armed forces’ special forces group in Azerbaijan, is the de facto head of the Azerbaijani army.
Despite all this, Azerbaijan dares to deny Turkey’s direct presence and participation in the aggression against Artsakh, even though Turkish pilots were awarded in August 2021. What does this denial mean? Are there hidden contradictions in Turkish-Azerbaijani relations that are not yet apparent? Perhaps these will become evident in the future.
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