Azadlig: Erdogan hurts feelings of Azerbaijani authorities
After the visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Azerbaijan, operations against the Nur started to be carried out in the country, and it is conditioned by serious discussions held between the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Turkish Prime Minister. It was also noted that Erdogan had passed Aliyev a list of Nurs working in his administration.
However, as the Azerbaijani newspaper "Azadlig" notes, the Azerbaijani authorities did not like the fact that the operation against Nur was associated with Erdogan's visit. Apparently, the Azerbaijani authorities have realized that such comments are serious blow to their slogan which says that "Azerbaijan carries out an independent policy," and now, for several days already, articles are being published in Azerbaijani pro-governmental media, which state that the actions carried out against the Nur proceed from the interests of Azerbaijan and are not implemented by orders of someone else.
"However, despite all efforts, the developments are obvious. It’s a fact that the operation carried out against the Nurs coincided with the period when relations between Erdogan and Fethullah Gulen soured. Just after the prime minister's visit to Azerbaijan these activities intensified," the newspaper writes.
At the same time, as the Turkish edition of Daily Sabah notes, eight Turkish citizens suspected of having ties with the Gulen movement, will be deported from Azerbaijan due to expired visas.
The article recalls that at the beginning of the month a letter addressed to Gülen was circulated in internet, which was telling about the financial strength of the movement and its activities in Azerbaijan. The financial report of Gulenists in Azerbaijan in 2013 was attached to the letter; it proved that the movement had assets of $2 million. Also there have been gifts given to influential people in Azerbaijan worth of $732 thousand.