Baku: Azerbaijan is within the highlight after accusing India of blocking its try to affix the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Officers and media in Baku say the transfer is retaliation for Azerbaijan overtly supporting Pakistan in its army battle with India in Could. Removed from a impartial actor, Baku has lengthy cultivated shut ties with Islamabad and condemned India’s Operation Sindoor. Now, financial and diplomatic penalties are following quick.
Throughout a gathering on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev congratulated Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on what he known as Pakistan’s “victory” over India. He emphasised that regardless of India’s actions in worldwide boards, Azerbaijan will proceed prioritising its “brotherhood” with Pakistan.
He highlighted political, cultural and strategic ties and mentioned increasing commerce and financial cooperation by means of the Azerbaijani-Pakistani intergovernmental fee, in accordance with Turkish newspaper Day by day Sabah.
Sharif expressed gratitude to Aliyev on behalf of Pakistan, praising Azerbaijan’s “solidarity” throughout the battle. He additionally underlined the significance of the trilateral Azerbaijan-Turkey-Pakistan format, recalling his earlier visits to Baku.
Throughout Operation Sindoor, Azerbaijan, Turkey and China sided with Pakistan. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Overseas Affairs condemned India’s army motion, providing condolences to Pakistani civilians affected by the battle and urging diplomatic decision.
Turkey equally denounced India’s “unprovoked aggression” and warned that the operation may escalate into full-scale warfare. Pakistan’s use of Turkish-made Songar drones throughout the four-day operation added to regional tensions.
This public assist for Pakistan sparked outrage in India. Social media calls to boycott Azerbaijan and Turkey rapidly translated into motion. Indian journey operators cancelled packages and advisories warned vacationers to go to “provided that completely essential”. EaseMyTrip, Ixigo and Travomint suspended bookings, whereas MakeMyTrip reported a 60% drop in journeys and a 250% rise in cancellations to Azerbaijan and Turkey inside per week, as per NDTV.
The impression is tangible. India has emerged as one in every of Azerbaijan’s largest vacationer sources, after Russia, Turkey and Iran. Vacationer arrivals surged from 4,853 Indians in 2014 to 243,589 in 2024. Between January and April 2025, over 80,000 Indian vacationers visited Azerbaijan, accounting for roughly 11% of all arrivals. With every customer spending Rs 100,000-130,000, the boycott has dealt a big financial blow simply as Azerbaijan relied on Indian tourism.
Azerbaijani media now claims India’s SCO obstruction violates multilateral diplomacy, invoking the “Shanghai Spirit” precept that bilateral disputes shouldn’t spill into international boards. Officers argue the SCO snub is tied to Baku’s shut ties with Pakistan. However the financial fallout and tourism decline illustrate the price of selecting “brotherhood” over balanced diplomacy.
Baku’s alignment with Islamabad exhibits that worldwide loyalties have a worth. On this case, standing with a “brother” nation could have closed doorways in a single discussion board whereas hitting wallets in one other.