Africa made up the largest delegation of Turkey’s friends, with 17 heads of state, prime ministers or parliamentary presidents among the 47 leaders present at Erdogan’s inauguration ceremony on 3 June in Ankara. The presidents of Central Asian republics were also represented at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and the subsequent state dinner held at the Çankaya Palace. It is here that they witnessed an unexpected duo formed by the president of Azerbaijan and the prime minister of Armenia.