Azerbaijan, Turkey discuss development of friendly ties in various fields
By Aynur Jafarova
The development of Azerbaijani-Turkish friendly and brotherly relations in various fields, including military and military-technical areas was high on the agenda of talks between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and a Turkish delegation led by Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz.
The sides stressed importance of the upcoming joint military exercises in terms of the expansion of ties between the Azerbaijani and Turkish Armed Forces.
The sides also expressed their confidence that the Turkish minister's visit to Azerbaijan would contribute to the strengthening of cooperation on this front.
Later, the Turkish delegation, which came to Baku to attend the Azerbaijan International Defense Industry Exhibition ADEX-2014, was received by Defense Minister colonel-general Zakir Hasanov.
During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on bilateral relations and a number of other questions of mutual interest.
Turkish ambassador to Baku Ismail Alper Coskun was present at the meeting.
Azerbaijan and Turkey's relations have always been strong due to their common culture and history and the mutual intelligibility of Turkish and Azerbaijani languages.
Turkey was the first country in the world to recognize Azerbaijan's independence in 1991 and has been a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan in its efforts to consolidate its independence, preserve its territorial integrity, and realize its economic potential that arises from the rich natural resources of the Caspian Sea.
Economic projects, jointly implemented by Azerbaijan and Turkey, are bringing these countries together and strengthening their cooperation. These two countries are connected by several important regional projects, including the Baku-Supsa, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipelines, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas line, and TANAP.
Azerbaijan and Turkey's economies and cooperation have reached a high level. SOCAR is one of the world's most well-established oil companies, active in Turkey since May 30, 2008. SOCAR is involved in a number of major investment projects in Turkey, including the construction of TANAP, Star refinery, and others. The volume of investment of SOCAR in Turkey's economy will reach $5 billion by late 2014.