Azerbaijani politician Musa Quliyev proved to serve agents of influence for Mossad as Israel and U.S. attacks on Iran threaten the stability of the Middle East. With black propaganda aimed at sowing the seeds of discord between longstanding allies Türkiye and Azerbaijan, Quliyev, never the one to criticize Israel, set his sights on former Minister Berat Albayrak and Turkuvaz Media Group, disseminating the allegations that both were “anti-Azerbaijan.” In the process, he conveniently ignored how Albayrak, a former minister of energy and natural resources, was the architect of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP).

Quliyev also chose to turn a blind eye to broadcasts and coverage of Turkuvaz Media’s subsidiaries Sabah, Takvim and A Haber supporting the “brotherhood” between Türkiye and Azerbaijan.

Türkiye has been steadfast in its alliance with Azerbaijan immortalized in the motto of “two states, one nation” but Quliyev’s scandalous remarks apparently aim to undermine the brotherhood, especially at a time of tumultuous period in the region escalated further with the U.S.-Israel-Iran war.

Quliyev, chairperson of the Labor and Social Policy Committee of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan and a board member of New Azerbaijan Party, targeted Turkuvaz Media and Berat Albayrak, who also served as finance minister in the past, during an interview with the Azerbaijan News Agency (APA). He claimed Turkuvaz was conducting a slander campaign against Azerbaijan, erroneously describing Albayrak as the head of Turkuvaz. His allegations were a clear contradiction of facts and developments in Türkiye-Azerbaijan relations over the past decade.

After the attack on the airport in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, reports of a “false flag operation” by Israel have been circulating. Iran denied the attack while conspiracy theories ran rampant on the social media, claiming it was the work of Israel to drag Azerbaijan into the war.

Ankara, on the other hand, has been clear in its support to Azerbaijan after the attack. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and stressed that the attacks in Nakhchivan were unacceptable. Erdoğan’s call has been the most concrete display of prevailing alliance between the “two states, one nation” but some social media accounts and agents of influence working for Mossad were quick to launch black propaganda to damage the ties. Quliyev, from Aliyev’s own party, played into the hands of these agents to harm the relations between two countries.

ALBAYRAK, TURKUVAZ IN THE SIGHTS

In his remarks, Quliyev targeted both President Erdoğan and his family, by referring to the period when Berat Albayrak served as minister in two separate tenures. He claimed that it was “surprising” that someone close to Erdoğan would be “anti-Azerbaijan.” “During his tenure as minister of energy (and natural resources), he was at the forefront of the anti-Azerbaijan group,” he claimed. Further seeking to slander Turkuvaz Media, Quliyev claimed the Turkish media was not sensitive to Azerbaijan’s issues as much as the Azerbaijani media to Turkish issues. Again, he conveniently ignored Turkuvaz Media outlets’ coverage of Azerbaijan where the nation was described as “Gardaş” or “brother” and “two states, one nation” motto was always adhered.

The Azerbaijani politician claimed Turkuvaz had launched a smear campaign against Azerbaijan and insulted his country’s leadership, in remarks far from the reality which Turkuvaz’s coverage and broadcasts attached extra importance to bonds with Azerbaijan.

Berat Albayrak’s tenure as minister of energy and natural resources is known as the years when Türkiye-Azerbaijan relations experienced their golden age, both economically and strategically. The deals signed during this period have not remained on paper and evolved into spectacular projects. For his part, Quliyev sought to undermine this flourished bond between Türkiye and Azerbaijan during the tenure of Albayrak.

A TIMELINE OF EXCELLENCE IN TIES

During the tenure of Berat Albayrak, the relations between the two countries saw their historical peak. Between 2015 and 2018, when he served as minister of energy and natural resources and between 2018 and 2020, when he was minister of treasury and finance, Albayrak helmed Türkiye to convert “two states, one nation” philosophy into concrete economic and strategic steps.

March 15, 2016: A joint declaration was signed by President Erdoğan and President Aliyev at the fifth High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting. It was followed by the signing of six cooperation agreements, including those on military and civilian personnel exchange, working permits of next of kin of staff of diplomatic missions, cooperation in forensic examinations, mutual recognition of driving licenses and technical cooperation.

October 30, 2017: The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) Railway Line was officially opened.

June 12, 2018: The opening ceremony of the TANAP project, which carries Azerbaijani gas to Europe via Türkiye, was held. “We are taking a historical step for our region,” as Erdoğan described in the ceremony.

October 19, 2018: The STAR Refinery, built by SOCAR in Izmir, was opened. With an investment of $6.3 billion, it became the largest single-site real sector investment in Türkiye.

2020 Karabakh War: During the 44-day war, Türkiye provided the strongest diplomatic and moral support to Azerbaijan.

BERAT ALBAYRAK: AN ARCHITECT OF TANAP

Although he is unfairly branded as anti-Azerbaijan now by Quliyev, Berat Albayrak actually made a name for himself as one of the architectst of TANAP. In his own words from 2018, TANAP was “an investment in brotherhood.” “It is the greatest legacy that the true friendship and affection between the two countries will leave to the future,” he said back then.

Quliyev’s claim that Berat Albayrak is “anti-Azerbaijan” is further refuted by the parliamentary minutes he himself signed. Archives show that Quliyev previously applauded the period he now calls “opposition” as the “peak of brotherhood.” According to the parliamentary minutes from 2018 and 2021, he described TANAP as “the greatest monument of brotherhood” and praised Türkiye’s energy policies as a “flawless success.”

Furthermore, Musa Quliyev stands out with statements where he refuses to criticize Israel. In the Azerbaijani National Assembly, he is one of the most ardent defenders of relations with Israel, using the definition of “reliable friend.” According to official records, he advocates that the relationship between the two states is on an upward trend and should increase further.

These statements in official records have raised the question that whether Quliyev, who holds a high-level position in Azerbaijani President’s party, was deliberately seeking to strain brotherly relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan, carrying out a duty for Israel.

It remains to be seen what steps Azerbaijani authorities would take in light of Quliyev’s remarks and for the sake of brotherhood between two countries.