What are the consequences of the dispute between Baku and Ankara on projects supported by America and Europe in the region?
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, hosted a dinner in Ankara last weekend, on the eve of the 13th meeting of the heads of the Organization of Turkic States.
The presence of regional leaders at this ceremony was not far from expected, but the absence of one of Erdogan's closest allies was unexpected: Ilham Aliyev, the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Northern Cyprus were present at this banquet, and even Donald Trump, the President of the United States, spoke with Erdogan on the phone during the ceremony, but Aliyev was not among those present.
His absence not only put tensions between Baku and Ankara back in the spotlight, but also raised questions about the possible implications of those differences for major transport and energy projects supported by the United States and the European Union. This matter has become more important in the situation that with the continuation of the wars in Ukraine and Iran, the countries of the region are looking for alternative ways to transfer goods and energy.
Hasan Oktay, a Turkish political analyst who attended the meeting as an observer, says: "Even if the diplomatic tensions do not lead to the cancellation of projects, it may slow down administrative coordination, technical consultations, the financing process and reaching policy agreements."
He assesses Eliaf's absence "to the detriment of the Republic of Azerbaijan".
Read the full version of this report on Radio Perda's website.