Page 16 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics

P.M.Ignatiev, P.V.Bovsunivskyi: Turkey and Iran: political rivalry and economic cooperation
through the ages

popular in Iran that many local students and housevives decided to learn that

language in order to understand the content better [19].

On the one hand, the relative similarity of the political elites in both states,

which do not have Arabian majority of the population, provides them with the

opportunity to become even closer parthers. Mutually beneficial economic

cooperation was a result of improved political relations after 2002, when the

moderate Islamist Party of Justice and Development (AKP) under the leadership of

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won the pairlamentary elections in Turkey and proclaimed

policy of «Zero Problems» in relations with neighbours. The negative attitude of

population towards the European Union that did not accept Turkey as its full-fledged

member made the appeal to restore relations with Muslim world very popular.

Moreover, European politicians criticized Erdoğan for his handling of the opposition

and Internet freedoms. The Turks was also disappointed with American - British

invasion of Iraq back in 2003. Many people considered it as the menacing step

towards independent Kurdish state around cities Kirkuk, Mosul and Erbil. The

waning of influence of military circles in the following period also made country

more Iran-oriented, because generals usually served as the protectors of secularism

and disliked official Tehran for revolutionary rhetoric. The former Prime Minister

Erdoğan also decided to present Turkey as a champion of Palestinian rights and to

this end orginazed the humanitarian flotilla to Gaza Strip in 2010, whose ship «Mavi

Marmara» was interceped by the special forces of Israel. This bloody event led to

the deterioration of bilateral relations. On the other hand Iran, which began to feel

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