Azeri leader backs expansion of business ties with Turkey
BAKU – Azeri President Ilham Aliyev voiced his support to broadening economic cooperation with Turkey during the meeting with the visiting Turkish State Minister for Foreign Trade, Zafуr Chaglayan in Baku Wednesday.
Aliyev expressed his satisfaction with the current level of economic relations with Turkey. He said the two countries have a potential to expand bilateral economic cooperation and expressed his hope that the visiting Turkish businessmen would establish mutually beneficial cooperation with their Azeri colleagues.
For his part, the Turkish minister said there had been a tremendous progress in Baku since his last visit in 2009. He pointed out that despite the global financial crisis, Azerbaijani economy increased 9 percent in 2009.
During the business forum on Thursday, Caglayan said that Turkish President Abdullah Gul will pay an official visit to Azerbaijan soon.
A delegation of Turkish officials and 100 businessmen led by State Minister for Foreign Trade Mehmet Zafer Caglayan arrived in Baku Wednesday.
The purpose of the visit is to hold discussions with Azerbaijani counterparts on the opportunities for bilateral trade, mutual investments and cooperation, the Turkish embassy in Baku told AssA-Irada.
The Turkish delegation includes representatives of companies operating in the fields of electric appliances, precious stones, medical equipment, food industry and agriculture, chemical industry, hotel administration and kitchenware, footwear, software development and information technologies.
Azerbaijan and Turkey are successfully cooperating in the implementation of the major regional economic projects, including Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, as well as the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.