In 2026, on the occasion of Independence Day, the Azerbaijani embassy in Turkey applied to Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking that the country’s landmark buildings be illuminated in the colours of the Azerbaijani flag, but the ministry did not consider the application expedient. This was reported by the Azerbaijani Qafqazinfo.
In previous years the embassy had applied to Turkey’s Foreign Ministry with a similar request every year, but this year the request was rejected.
According to the article, pro-Palestinian and anti-Azerbaijani elements within the Turkish administration played a significant role in the making of such decisions.
The website also notes that this year the established tradition of participation in diplomatic events was also broken: instead of the speaker of the Grand National Assembly or assistants to the president of Turkey, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu attended the event organized in Ankara on the 28th of May on the occasion of Azerbaijan’s Independence Day.
