Every Indian Must Read This : The India-Turkey-Armenia-Azerbaijan-Cyprus Equation

India and Turkey- A sour relationship

In the present geopolitical dynamics, Turkey is the enemy of India. It always supports Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir and often speaks against India in international meetings. Turkey has chosen to side with Pakistan, a country that breeds and supports terrorism. During Operation Sindoor, when India was carrying out a military action, Turkey gave Pakistan drones to use against Indian forces. Because of these actions, many in India see Turkey as supporting a country that acts against India’s interests.

Operation Sindoor

Turkey and Azerbaijan

Turkey and Azerbaijan are very close allies. They share strong cultural, historical, and language ties because both are Turkic countries. Turkey fully supports Azerbaijan, especially in its conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. In the 2020 war, Turkey helped Azerbaijan with weapons, military training, and drones, helping it win back territory from Armenia. Their relationship is often described as “one nation, two states.”

Turkey and Armenia

Turkey and Armenia have a very tense and hostile relationship. One major issue is the Armenian Genocide during World War I, where over a million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Empire (which became modern Turkey). Armenia and many countries call it a genocide, but Turkey denies this. Also, because Turkey supports Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, relations with Armenia are even worse. The border between Turkey and Armenia has been closed since 1993.

India and Turkey

Turkey and Cyprus

Cyprus is a divided island. In 1974, Turkey invaded the northern part of Cyprus after a Greek-backed coup tried to unite Cyprus with Greece. Since then, Cyprus has been split into two parts:

The Republic of Cyprus in the south (Greek Cypriot side), which is an EU member and is internationally recognized.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the north, which is only recognized by Turkey.

Turkey keeps thousands of troops in northern Cyprus, and peace talks to reunite the island have failed many times. The situation remains frozen, with both sides blaming each other.

Turkey and Cyprus

Armenia and Azerbaijan

Armenia and Azerbaijan have a long-standing conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that is officially part of Azerbaijan but was mostly controlled by ethnic Armenians for decades. After the 2020 war, Azerbaijan took back much of the region. In 2023, Azerbaijan launched a new military operation and regained full control over Nagorno-Karabakh. Many Armenians fled the region. The two countries have not signed a peace treaty yet, and tension remains high.

Thus the summary is as follows:

🌐 1. Turkey & Azerbaijan: “One nation, two states”

Extremely close allies — they share language, culture, and strategic goals.
Turkey strongly supported Azerbaijan during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict against Armenia (especially in 2020 and 2023).
They cooperate in energy (oil/gas pipelines like TANAP), military drills, and diplomacy.

⚔️ 2. Azerbaijan & Armenia: Long-standing conflict

Their main conflict is over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but historically controlled by ethnic Armenians.
Two major wars: in the early 1990s, and again in 2020 (where Azerbaijan regained large parts of the territory), and 2023, when Azerbaijan fully retook the area.
After the 2023 conflict, nearly 100,000 ethnic Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh.
Now, they’re trying to move towards peace — both countries are slowly recognizing each other’s borders and exchanging prisoners.

🕊️ 3. Turkey & Armenia: Enemies trying to become neighbors

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993, supporting Azerbaijan.
Turkey and Armenia have no formal diplomatic ties, mainly due to:
- The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
- Armenia’s campaign to have the 1915 Armenian genocide officially recognized.
In June 2025, there was a major shift: Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan visited Istanbul — the first working visit ever — to discuss opening borders and improving relations.
Turkey is demanding that Armenia first normalize ties with Azerbaijan, which Armenia is now slowly doing.

🧩 4. Cyprus & Turkey/Azerbaijan

Northern Cyprus is a breakaway region only recognized by Turkey. It’s called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Azerbaijan and Turkey support TRNC diplomatically — they call their bond “One nation, three states” (Turkey, Azerbaijan, Northern Cyprus).
The Republic of Cyprus, which is internationally recognized (and backed by the EU and Greece), opposes this.
The Cyprus conflict is another ongoing division — Turkey invaded northern Cyprus in 1974; the island remains divided today.