The anti-Azerbaijan campaigns in Türkiye are believed to be led by Berat Albayrak and his Turkuvaz Media Group. This disinformation is neither his first nor his last provocation. In materials circulated by Turkuvaz Media Group, Ilham Aliyev has allegedly been insulted and Azerbaijan portrayed as cooperating with Israel.
Azerbaijani politician Musa Quliyev also pointed out that it is surprising because Albayrak is a close member of the family of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Albayrak has reportedly shown hostility toward Azerbaijan not only in media narratives but also in private correspondence and public statements.
After the start of the Iran war, a disinformation campaign began in Turkish media spreading unfounded claims that Azerbaijan supports Israel. A similar campaign had previously been carried out during the Gaza issue, when fake news produced with “deepfake” methods was circulated, such as: “Azerbaijan supported Israel at the Eurovision contest,” “Azerbaijan supplies fuel to Israeli planes attacking Gaza,” and “Azerbaijan lowered its flags to half-mast on Oct. 7 to support Israel.”
The same campaign built around claims of “support for Israel” has started again. However, Azerbaijan, as always, stated from the very first day that it would not serve as a platform for attacks against Iran. This issue was specifically emphasized both in talks between foreign ministers and in phone conversations between the presidents. Despite this, fabricated claims in Turkish media that “Azerbaijan supports Israel” continue. After Iran’s drone attacks on Nakhchivan, such allegations intensified even more. Some narratives attempt to argue that the attack was not carried out by Iran, while Azerbaijan’s strong reaction after being attacked is portrayed as “support for Israel.”
The fact that Azerbaijan—whose civilians were injured in the attack—has become the target of accusations in brotherly Türkiye causes justified dissatisfaction in society. Although anti-Azerbaijan campaigns appear from time to time, the Turkish state does not say “stop” to the false claims. On the contrary, media outlets known for their closeness to the ruling circles also widely participate in the campaign. This draws attention to the question of who stands behind the smear campaign against Azerbaijan.
Research shows that fake claims against Azerbaijan in Türkiye are mainly circulated through resources belonging to the Turkuvaz media group. For example, in an article published by the newspaper Sabah titled “Who benefits from the attack on Azerbaijan?” about Iran’s drone attack on Nakhchivan, the position of official Tehran is defended. In another article of the same newspaper, the Azerbaijani leadership’s tough stance—based on national interests—regarding Iran’s attack on Nakhchivan is criticized.
Similar accusations regarding Azerbaijan are voiced on television channels belonging to the same media group. At the same time, information resources not formally part of the Turkuvaz group but known for their closeness to it have also joined the anti-Azerbaijan campaign in chorus.
The Turkuvaz media group is owned by former Turkish minister of energy and natural resources (2015–2018) and treasury and finance (2018–2020), and the son-in-law of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Berat Albayrak. This fact gives grounds to say that Berat Albayrak stands behind the anti-Azerbaijan campaign carried out in Türkiye. The fact that the campaign has continued for a long time and has not been stopped is also attributed to Albayrak’s strong influence.
The main reason for Albayrak’s hostility toward Azerbaijan is said to be personal interests. It is claimed that he tried to secure a larger share for companies close to him in Azerbaijan-Türkiye energy cooperation. Although during his tenure as minister Albayrak made statements “supporting” Azerbaijan and expressed positive views about energy cooperation, it is alleged that in reality he stood behind attempts to sabotage the Southern Gas Corridor and TANAP projects. Information about this allegedly appears in e-mails belonging to Albayrak leaked by the hacker group Redhack.
Albayrak’s trade relations with Iran also play a special role in his hostility toward Azerbaijan. Information in open sources claims that he once used his authority to help bypass sanctions against Iran. Albayrak’s name was also mentioned among the main suspects in the Reza Zarrab case. During court proceedings in the United States related to Reza Zarrab, it was revealed that banks such as Halkbank and Akitbank were used to circumvent sanctions on Iran. At that time Albayrak headed Çalık Holding, which included Akitbank. After Reza Zarrab was arrested in 2013, there were claims that Albayrak ensured the continuation of the money-laundering scheme that bypassed sanctions. Indictments by U.S. prosecutors and testimony by Zarrab reportedly mention Albayrak’s support for bypassing sanctions and continuing money transfers.
The Turkish side denied Albayrak’s involvement in the Zarrab case and no official charges were brought against him. However, investigations by U.S. prosecutors and Zarrab’s testimony mention Albayrak as a key participant in the process. Business ties with Zarrab allegedly helped Albayrak build deep connections with Iran, including cooperation with intelligence services.
Against this background, it is claimed that it is not accidental that information attacks defending Iranian interests against Azerbaijan in Türkiye are allegedly led by Albayrak. There are also claims that the smear campaign previously organized against SOCAR in Türkiye was carried out by Albayrak at the request of Iranian intelligence.
The name of Berat Albayrak has surfaced in yet another controversy. An investigation published by Euro Asia News raises serious questions about alleged links between large-scale oil trading schemes, financial transfers worth billions of dollars, and networks of intermediary companies connected to sanctioned Russian energy flows.
According to the report, these schemes allegedly helped move Russian oil into international markets despite sanctions, involving a complex web of companies and political connections. In this context, Albayrak’s name appears in discussions surrounding the influence of political figures in energy and financial dealings tied to the trade.
The investigation also revisits earlier controversies around energy projects and oil transportation arrangements in Türkiye, including disputes linked to companies such as Powertrans. Critics argue that such cases reflect a broader pattern of opaque decision-making and politically connected business networks in the regional energy sector.
While many of the claims remain part of ongoing journalistic investigations rather than final court rulings, the report adds to a growing list of allegations and controversies in which Albayrak’s name has been mentioned.
These facts are presented as grounds to say that the anti-Azerbaijan campaign currently being carried out by Berat Albayrak and his brother Serhat Albayrak, who is part of the leadership of the Turkuvaz media group, stems from personal interests and directives from foreign intelligence services. Although there are people in Türkiye who oppose the anti-Azerbaijan campaign, it is claimed that Albayrak, taking advantage of his family ties with the Turkish president, does not allow it to stop and instead tries to expand it further.
The smear campaign against Azerbaijan has one goal: to weaken our brotherhood and strike at the relations between the “two states of one nation.” It is known that third forces want the relations between Azerbaijan and Türkiye to deteriorate. It is claimed that Berat Albayrak, in order to secure his financial interests, is serving the wishes or instructions of third parties to create cracks in the Baku–Ankara line.
Ankara needs to think about this and intervene in the process immediately. Because the “red line” expected by Azerbaijani media regarding brotherly relations is not adequately reflected in Turkish media. Until now, Azerbaijani media have ignored many noteworthy issues in world media about Türkiye’s domestic and foreign policy out of brotherhood. But if disinformation-based smear campaigns against Azerbaijan are systematically carried out not only by media linked to FETÖ but also by pro-government outlets in Türkiye, then it is time for Azerbaijani media to approach information not through the prism of brotherhood but through the principles of professional journalism. If there is no “red line” regarding Azerbaijan in Turkish media, why should Azerbaijani media maintain one?
EURO ASIA NEWS INTERNET NEWSPAPER 
Leave a comment