Razm.info tried to analyze the participation of the Turkish Armed Forces in the hostilities in Artsakh since September 27.
In “Part 3”, we discuss the involvement of one of the high-ranking officers of the Turkish Armed Forces in the Operations Control Center of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the war, and his role in Azerbaijan after the war.
Read also:
- Turkey’s participation in the 44-day War in Karabakh: Part 1: F-16s
- Turkey’s participation in the 44-day War in Karabakh: Part 2: UAVs
Following the war in Artsakh, the Russian “Vzglyad” newspaper wrote about the involvement of Turkey in the coordination of work in the General Staff of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the war against Artsakh. Referring to its anonymous official sources in Azerbaijan, the newspaper informed that the coordination was carried out by General Bahtiyar Ersay, Chief of Operations at the Command of Turkish Land Forces.
According to the source, Ersay personally took part in the organization of military operations against Artsakh and reported to the Turkish military-political leadership.
Briefly about Ersay:
He was appointed as the Chief of operations at the Land Forces in August 2019. Prior to that, since 2016, he was the commander of the 2nd Border Brigade in Turkey’s Hakkâri province, bordering Iraq. “Vzglyad” newspaper wrote that Ersay was the commander of the 2nd Commando Brigade, which was most likely a confusion. The 2nd Border Brigade operates within the 7th Corps of the 2nd Army of the Turkish Armed Forces and is involved in operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters in difficult mountainous conditions. Ersay is known for the operation in 2017 against the PKK near the Kale Hill in the mountains of Hakkâri.
Bahtiyar Ersay during the operation against the PKK in the mountains of Hakkari
Before becoming the commander of the 2nd Border Brigade, Ersay held various positions in the Turkish Armed Forces, served in the mission of the Turkish AF in Afghanistan, worked as the Military Attaché in Tunisia, where according to media reports, organized the evacuation of Turkish citizens during the Arab Spring, served in special forces, etc. In 2011 Ersay was arrested and sentenced to 16 years in prison for involvement in the 2003 military coup, however, after serving 31 months in prison, he was acquitted and returned to the Armed Forces.
Although the information in Vzglyad newspaper is based exclusively on their undisclosed sources, and there are misconceptions about Ersay in the article, the fact that he was in Azerbaijan and was involved in the Operations Control Center of the Azeri Armed Forces has been confirmed by open sources.
The visit of Ilham Aliyev to the Operations Command Center of the Azerbaijani AF on 26 October testifies that Ersay was present there during the war. Although in the published video, where the shots are as covert as possible, most of the officers present at the headquarters are not shown, and the faces of the 3 officers who appear in separate shots are closed and mainly shown from the back, however Ersay stands out with some physical features.
Ersay at the Operations Command Center of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on 26 October
It is noteworthy that during Aliyev’s speech, when he was talking about the fatalities during the war, which implied that the military should stand up, Ersay did so only after the officer sitting next to him gestured to him. This was probably due to the linguistic and pronunciation peculiarities.
The other significant episode took place on 31 December, when a delegation of the Turkish Armed Forces led by Defense Minister Hulusi Akar arrived in Azerbaijan. During the welcoming ceremony at the airport, Ersay was not part of the Turkish delegation that arrived with Akar but was among the welcoming group on the Azerbaijani side, together with the head of the Department of International Military Cooperation of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan. It is more remarkable that Ersay wore a uniform with the multicam camouflage pattern designed for the high-ranking officers of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, with the patch of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
Bahtiyar Ersay welcoming the Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on 31 December
With his outfit, Ersay also “differs” from the delegation and the officers of the Turkish Armed Forces in the image showing officers from both countries taken during an event organized on the same day. The officers of the Turkish Armed Forces wear their uniforms, while Ersay is in the same uniform as the officers of the Azeri Armed Forces.
Bahtiyar Ersay at an event organized in the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan
However, Ersay’s presence in Azerbaijan did not end in December. The joint Russian-Turkish monitoring center opened in Aghdam on 30 January. High-ranking officers from Russia, Azerbaijan and Turkey attended the opening ceremony. Bahtiyar Ersay was among them: this time with a uniform and a patch of the Turkish Armed Forces.
Bahtiyar Ersay at the opening of the Russian-Turkish monitoring center
As of February 2021, Ersay was still in Azerbaijan. On 15 February, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar convened a video conference, during which the Minister was briefed on defense and security matters from various units of the Turkish Armed Forces, as well as military missions in various countries, including Libya, Cyprus, Kosovo, etc.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense published a photo from the consultations, which showed Bahtiyar Ersay joining online from Azerbaijan, with his window identified as “Command of the Turkish mission in Azerbaijan.” Next, Ersay appeared in similar consultations three months later, on 15 March.
Bahtiyar Ersay (in the center) at the consultations of the Ministry of Defense of Turkey
It is notable that formally Turkey has a military presence in Azerbaijan in the demining group and the joint Russian-Turkish monitoring center in Aghdam, where the representative of Turkey is not Ersay, but Brigadier General Abdullah Katrj.
It can be concluded that months after the end of hostilities, Bahtiyar Ersay is still in Azerbaijan, and judging by the consultations of the Turkish Ministry of Defense on 15 February and 15 March, he is coordinating the Turkish military presence on the ground as the “commander of the Turkish mission in Azerbaijan.”
Razminfo blog 