It was unexpected that Turkey and Azerbaijan would openly take sides with Pakistan! After India attacked Pakistan, none of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council publicly condemned India. However, it was surprising that Turkey and Azerbaijan issued diplomatic statements condemning India's actions. On May 7th, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying: We are closely monitoring the developments between Pakistan and India. Last night's attack by India has increased the risk of a full-scale war breaking out. We condemn such provocative acts as well as attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Azerbaijan, on the other hand, stated: We condemn the military attack on the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which resulted in casualties among civilians. We stand in solidarity with the people of Pakistan and express our condolences to the families of the innocent victims. At a time when none of the five permanent members of the United Nations condemned India, Turkey and Azerbaijan openly sided with Pakistan and condemned India, which was indeed very surprising.
Why do these two countries strongly support Pakistan? Clearly, religion is one of the key factors. Of course, apart from religious factors, there are more practical considerations for Turkey. From Turkey's perspective, Pakistan's strategic position is very important, controlling the key channel from the Persian Gulf to Central Asia. Turkey hopes to use Pakistan to bypass the Suez Canal and open a direct trade route to the Chinese market.
Therefore, Turkey absolutely does not want to see Pakistan weakened by India. Furthermore, with the warming of US-India relations and the deterioration of US-Turkey relations, Turkey undoubtedly also hopes to deepen its relationship with Pakistan to weaken the influence exerted by the US-India alliance. China-Pakistan relations are very strong, being a major source of weapons for Pakistan. In fact, Turkey is the second-largest source of weapons for Pakistan.
Supporting Pakistan will not harm Turkey's arms trade. And as Turkey's brotherly country, Azerbaijan received strong support from Turkey during its conflict with Armenia. Clearly, Turkey and Azerbaijan's support is not coincidental. It is believed that after Turkey and Azerbaijan have made their stance clear, this will help India remain sober. Because, the fact proves that India is facing not just one Pakistan.
India-Pakistan conflict flares up again
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1831472423641481/
Disclaimer: This article only represents the author's personal views.