On August 3, 2009 Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (NAR). The NAR Supreme Mejlis Chairman Vasif Talibov met Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mehriban Aliyeva at the airport. Aliyev also met with the local top officials.

The current situation accounts for Aliyev’s unplanned visit to Nakhichevan. Without land communication with Azerbaijan, Nakhichevan has slowly but surely been closely tied with Turkey. High unemployment forces Nakhichevan people to look for jobs in Turkey. In fact Azerbaijani Autonomy resembles one of the Turkish vilayets. Baku’s influence on the local political elite is minimal. According to some information, Aliyev has to coordinate his schedule with the Turkish side in order to visit the region, moreover he can enter Nakhichevan only through Turkey. Azerbaijani authorities are seriously concerned about the loss of influence on Nakhichevan, especially because Turkey-Azerbaijan relations experience hard times.