Azerbaijan cries foul over its failed SCO bid: How backing its 'brother' Pakistan against India comes at a price

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev - File Photo

Azerbaijan is accusing India of taking “revenge” at global forums after Baku openly sided with Pakistan during a military conflict with New Delhi earlier this year. The latest flashpoint came when Azerbaijani media and officials alleged that India blocked Baku’s attempt to gain full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Far from being an innocent victim, Azerbaijan has for years cultivated a “brotherhood” with Pakistan and even condemned India’s Operation Sindoor. Now, facing an Indian backlash that has hit its booming tourism market, Baku is crying foul about the economic costs of its own diplomatic choices.

Baku’s open support for Pakistan against India

During his meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin this weekend, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev congratulated Islamabad for what he called Pakistan’s “victory” over India. He declared that despite India’s actions on global forums, Baku would prioritise its “brotherhood” with Islamabad.

Aliyev claimed Azerbaijan’s relationship with Pakistan was rooted in close political, cultural and strategic ties. He also discussed expanding trade and economic cooperation within the Azerbaijani-Pakistani intergovernmental commission with Sharif, according to the Turkish daily Daily Sabah.

Sharif expressed gratitude to Aliyev on behalf of the Pakistani people and government for Azerbaijan’s “solidarity” during the military conflict with India earlier this year. The Pakistan PM also stressed the significance of the trilateral Azerbaijan-Turkey-Pakistan format, recalling his previous visits to Baku.

How Azerbaijan backed Pakistan during Operation Sindoor

Azerbaijan and Turkey were the two countries, besides China, that supported Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May.

“The Republic of Azerbaijan expresses its concern over the further escalation of tension between the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” Azerbaijan said at the time.

Decrying India’s military action, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement backing Islamabad. “Being in solidarity with the people of Pakistan, we express condolences to the families of the innocent victims and wish a speedy recovery to those who were injured. We call on all parties to exercise restraint and to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means,” it said.

Turkey had condemned India’s “unprovoked aggression violating Pakistan’s sovereignty and killing innocent civilians”. It said Operation Sindoor raised the “risk of an all-out war.” It was also found that Pakistan used Turkish-made Songar drones during the four-day conflict against India.

This overt backing of Islamabad angered many Indians on social media and triggered calls to boycott Turkey and Azerbaijan.

India’s boycott hits Baku where it hurts

In response to Baku’s pro-Pakistan stance, Indian travel tour operators began cancelling offers and promotional packages to Turkey and Azerbaijan.

EaseMyTrip issued an advisory asking travellers to visit Turkey and Azerbaijan “only if absolutely necessary”. Ixigo suspended all flight and hotel bookings to Turkey, China and Azerbaijan. Travomint reportedly suspended all travel packages to Turkey and Azerbaijan.

There were “mass cancellations” of travel bookings from India to Turkey and Azerbaijan following boycott calls. MakeMyTrip reported a 60 per cent dip in bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan in just a week at the time, with cancellations increasing by 250 per cent, as per NDTV.

India’s travel boycott hurt Azerbaijan as the South Asian country has emerged as the fourth-largest tourist source after Russia, Turkiye and Iran. Travellers from India to Azerbaijan have surged in recent years. While just 4,853 Indians visited Azerbaijan in 2014, the number spiked to 243,589 in 2024.

In 2023, Indians accounted for less than six per cent (1.17 lakh) of all tourists in Azerbaijan. However, this rose to around 10 per cent in 2024. Between January and April 2025, more than 80,000 Indian tourists visited Azerbaijan, comprising a substantial 11 per cent of its total tourist tally for the period, as per a BusinessLine report.

With each Indian spending between Rs 100,000 and Rs 130,000 per trip according to the country’s Tourism Board, the boycott has hit Azerbaijan’s economy at a time when it was banking on Indian arrivals.

The backlash of playing “brotherhood” politics

Baku’s media now claims India has “violated the principles of multilateral diplomacy” by blocking Azerbaijan’s SCO bid, citing the “Shanghai Spirit” which says bilateral disputes should not be taken to multilateral platforms. Officials quoted by AnewZ argued that India’s stance is connected to Azerbaijan’s “fraternal relations” with Pakistan.

But the numbers tell a different story. Having openly sided with Islamabad during Operation Sindoor and condemned India’s actions, Baku is now facing the economic blowback of alienating one of its fastest-growing tourist markets.