Turkey's foreign minister cautions against exploiting Turkey-Azerbaijan rifts

At the CICA summit in Baku, Turkey's foreign minister Hakan Fidan cautioned against exploiting any divergences between Turkey and Azerbaijan to undermine their long-standing strategic alliance. He highlighted an "unshakable" friendship forged through past wars and crises, and stressed that disputes should be settled through direct dialogue, not propaganda on social platforms. Fidan said he had consulted with President Ilham Aliyev and received guidance from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before the visit.

He outlined Turkey's diplomatic push to end the Russia-Ukraine war while keeping the Black Sea out of combat, mentioning a proposal presented to Moscow and Kyiv and talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The minister warned that restrictions on Black Sea shipping threaten global wheat supplies and raise food and energy prices, especially for African nations. He also welcomed the Baku Declaration and noted Azerbaijan's extended chairmanship of CICA and Laos' admission as the 29th member.