Critical question from Baku to Ankara: Why did the Palestinian leader visit Southern Cyprus on October 29?

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's contacts in Southern Cyprus became one of the new topics of discussion in the Azerbaijani press regarding the tension in Türkiye-Azerbaijan relations.

In the evaluations published in Qafqazinfo, Oxu.az and Musavat.com, some circles in Turkey criticizing Baku's relations with Israel were called to 'apply the same criteria to all parties'.

BAYRAMOV-KOMBOS MEETING REMINDERED

In his analysis on Oxu.az, Agil Valili recalled the meeting of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov with his Cypriot counterpart Konstantinos Kombos in New York on September 23, within the scope of the UN General Assembly. According to the article, political dialogue, Azerbaijan-European Union relations and peace efforts in the South Caucasus were discussed during the meeting.

Valili argued that this contact was used by some commentators in Turkey to blame Azerbaijan. Valili pointed out that Abbas's visit, which included a meeting with Nikos Hristodulidis and a working dinner, was at a higher level than the meeting of the two ministers at an international event.

The main question posed by the author was: If there are diplomatic justifications for the Palestinian administration's high-level contacts with Nicosia, why is Baku's meeting at the ministerial level condemned? Valili evaluated this comparison as a test of consistency for those who criticize Azerbaijan.

"THE IMAGINARY BROTHERHOOD WAS BURIED IN NICOSIA"

Aslan Vəliyev used a harsher language in his article titled "The 'imaginary brotherhood' buried in Nicosia" published in Qafqazinfo on October 29. He interpreted the coincidence of Abbas's visit with the October 29 Republic Day as a political contradiction for the Islamist circles in Turkey, which he claimed were targeting Azerbaijan in the name of support for Palestine.

Stating that Baku faced accusations of 'betrayal' due to its relations with Israel, Valiyev questioned how the same circles would approach the choices of the Palestinian administration.

ARE SUPPORT TO PALESTINE AND RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL SEPARATE?

In his article on Musavat.com, Cavanşir Abbaslı stated that the fact that the visit coincided with Republic Day was of symbolic importance. However, he clearly emphasized that there was no evidence to say that Abbas' visit was planned as a deliberate "diplomatic slap" against Turkey.

Abbaslı reminded that Azerbaijan supports the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, the two-state solution and the independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. He stated that Baku's relations with Israel do not automatically invalidate this stance.

In the article, the rapprochement of the Palestinian administration with Armenia was also brought up for discussion. Abbaslı argued that Yerevan's recognition of Palestine and the development of diplomatic relations should be taken into account when evaluating the solidarity expected from Azerbaijan.