President Ilham Aliyev and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made statements to the press (PHOTO/VIDEO)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 13. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan made statements to the press.

The President of Azerbaijan first made a statement.

President Ilham Aliyev’s statement

– My dear brother, dear Mr. President.

Dear guests, ladies and gentlemen.

First of all, my dear brother, I sincerely welcome you to Azerbaijan. Welcome to Azerbaijan, to your homeland.

I want to congratulate you once again on your victory in the presidential elections. I am very glad that two weeks after this victory, you are on a state visit to Azerbaijan.

Your victory in the elections is a manifestation of the high appreciation of the Turkish people for your policy for more than 20 years. Under your leadership, brother Turkey has come a long and glorious way and has become a global powerhouse. Your activities both in the field and in domestic politics are highly appreciated by the Turkish people. Your victory made the people of Azerbaijan very happy.

I am sure that after this election, new opportunities and horizons will be opened for Turkish-Azerbaijani fraternal relations. Today we concluded the work done together and at the same time exchanged ideas on a wide range of issues related to what needs to be done in the coming years. Both during the one-on-one meeting and in the negotiations with the participation of the delegations, we once again expressed our common intention. In other words, the brotherly relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan are at the foundation of all the successes achieved.

In two days we will celebrate the second anniversary of the Shusha declaration. The Shusha Declaration is a historic treaty. As a result of this agreement, Turkey and Azerbaijan officially became allies. We have been de facto allies for many years, but the Shusha Declaration made that an official document. The signing of this document in Shusha is of course quite symbolic because Shusha is the main crown of Karabakh and the liberation of Shusha from occupation ended the Second Karabakh War. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan to you and brother Turkey for the fraternal, moral and political support you showed us during the Second Karabakh War.

Of course, the program of our future cooperation is among the issues we discussed today. Work is being done on the basis of specific programs in all areas. First of all, Turkey and Azerbaijan will take a unified position in the field of foreign policy. Our joint activity on foreign policy is of great importance for the region. In terms of development, stability and security of the region, the Turkish-Azerbaijani unity factor is extremely important.

Today we also talked about our future plans in the fields of defense and defense industry. It was noted with satisfaction that 16 joint military exercises will be held this year, six of which have already been held. I said after the Second Karabakh War that the Azerbaijani Army will develop on the basis of the Turkish model, and we see this clearly now. I want to express my special thanks to you for this support.

In the modern world, the power factor comes to the fore. Unfortunately, international law does not work. We saw this in the 30-year occupation, the discussions and negotiations did not give any result, it was our strength that brought the result. Therefore, the joint work to be done will increase our strength both in the region and in the world.

We are pleased to note that turnover is increasing rapidly. It is already close to 6 billion dollars and will grow even more in the future. Because the projects we will implement together, especially in the field of energy, will ensure this. The export of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Turkey is increasing every year, and we agreed that it will continue to increase. In parallel with this, the export of Azerbaijani gas from the territory of Turkey to European countries is increasing and there is a great demand for it. Our energy work is not limited to natural gas. Today we exchanged ideas on renewable energy cooperation. Today, we cooperate extensively in the fields of gas, oil, oil products, petrochemicals, and electricity.

Of course, every time we meet, we also discuss transportation issues in great detail. In the current geopolitical environment, the importance of the Middle Corridor is increasing. The volume of cargo transported from the territory of Azerbaijan, that is, through the Caspian Sea, is increasing every year and will continue to increase. Therefore, we are expanding transport and logistics opportunities in Azerbaijan. We are increasing the capacity of Baku Port to 25 million tons. Railways, shipyards and other transport infrastructure are being adapted to the most modern requirements.

At the same time, we exchanged views on the soon opening of the Zangezur corridor. We discussed this matter. The opening of Zangezur Corridor is inevitable, the sooner the better. In any case, we will increase our efforts in this direction. The opening of this corridor will open new opportunities for all countries and will have a positive effect on cooperation in the region.

One of the discussed issues is related to education. Negotiations on the establishment of a Turkish-Azerbaijani joint university are currently in the final stage. We very much hope that this issue will be resolved in the coming months and another contribution will be made to our fraternal relations.

In short, our agenda regarding all these and other issues I have mentioned is quite broad, there is consensus, unity, unity of position and it should be so. The Turkish-Azerbaijani union is important for our peoples, for the region, for the Turkic world. I am sure that this union will be strengthened in the coming years, because more successes and victories await us.

Dear brother, thank you again for coming. Welcome to your homeland!

xxx

Later, the President of Turkey made a statement.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement

– Dear Mr. President, my dear brother.

First of all, I would like to once again bring to the attention of respected media representatives that this year’s second round of presidential elections was held with 86 percent voter turnout and was an exceptional election worldwide. We were very pleased to win this election with the will of our nation and to make our first trip to North Cyprus and Baku on the same day. We are in our home and now we are making a press release here.

My brother Ilham summed up the meetings of the ministers very well today. In addition, we discussed in detail what we saw and what we saw in a one-on-one meeting. President Ilham Aliyev summarized it and gave detailed information about the meeting between the delegations.

Turkey and Azerbaijan are two brother countries. We have come to this day with the idea of ​​one nation and two states. We will continue resolutely on this path as we have done so far. I want to mention one thing here. Especially, the participation of my brother Ilham and his wife in the swearing-in ceremony is a message to the world and Turkey. That’s why I’m here, as is my wife. These visits are the best expression of the development of our relations. Did we do all this just today? No! We have been doing this continuously since I became the Prime Minister and then the President. As long as the Lord gives us life, we live and will continue to live.

I thank my dear brother Ilham Aliyev and our Azerbaijani brothers for this hospitality on my behalf and on behalf of my delegation. One of the steps we are currently taking and will take is the issues related to Turkey-Azerbaijan University. The chairman of the Higher Education Department discussed the issue with his colleague today. My brother Ilham stated the importance of legal procedures. By implementing this issue as soon as possible, we will hopefully achieve the establishment of such a university between Turkey and Azerbaijan. Thus, just as our Azerbaijani youth can easily come to Turkey, Turkish youth will also have the chance to study at a university in Azerbaijan.

In addition, one of the most important issues is, as is known, the issue of energy. Both TANAP and TAP have been active in the field of energy for years. Our ministers also discussed the details of these issues among themselves. We also talked about what we will do in the future. Europe is very concerned about the energy sector, especially the gas it will receive through Turkey. That’s why they ask. We are contributing to this and will continue to do so.

The steps to be taken in the field of defense industry are also of great importance. In addition to the steps we will take in this area, there are tasks ahead in the field of education, along with the defense industry part of this work. As we have seen so far, we will continue to fulfill these duties.

One of the most important issues is the steps taken by our private sector. Our companies successfully carry out joint activities in the fields of agriculture and animal husbandry. In addition, Turkish transport contractor companies are implementing successful infrastructure projects in Azerbaijan. This makes us especially happy.

We are determined to continue to successfully implement the provisions of the Shusha Declaration and will not compromise on this matter.

The issue of the Zangezur Corridor, which we are working on most sensitively, will hopefully create two important opportunities for us. With the opening of the road from here to Igdir and Nakhchivan, Turkey’s connection with Nakhchivan will be strengthened thanks to the steps to be taken regarding both the highway and the railway. Establishing these relations will allow further strengthening of relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan. Because where there is a road, there is culture. If you have a way, you are cultured. If you have a path, you have reached culture. If there is no path, there is nothing. Currently, especially after the wars, the most important issue that Azerbaijan shows great sensitivity in terms of infrastructure is roads. I saw during my previous visit that all the tunnels and viaducts clearly show how Azerbaijan developed after the first or second Karabakh war. We are proud to see it with our own eyes. I think of Baku 20 years ago, and now Karabakh. For 30 years, the Minsk group has simply delayed time, and the result is obvious. They delayed the time too much and prevented any steps from being taken. If you cut your own belly button, you will walk. Thankfully, my brother Ilham managed to do it. You have done it as a nation, now you have reached this level. So the important thing is that when you are determined, when you believe in yourself, you can achieve what you want. Azerbaijan also achieved this result.

Of course, certain steps await us now. Hopefully, as these steps are successfully taken, Azerbaijan will of course go further with its current population. You know my population plan and program. I would say at least three. But there should be at least five in Azerbaijan. Am I right bro?

President Ilham Aliyev: We are working on it.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: There should be at least five. Currently, the population is 12 million people.

President Ilham Aliyev: It has not yet reached 11 million, it has crossed 10 million, but hopefully it will reach 11 million soon.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: It will happen, God willing. In other words, it must be done. When this is achieved, Azerbaijan will become even stronger. Because the population is the strength of every country, it changes the paradigms of that country for the future. With this confidence, we will step towards the future with the concept of Turkey-Azerbaijan brotherhood, one nation, two states. Hopefully, we will raise Turkey-Azerbaijani brotherhood to a higher level with the steps we will take in other areas, starting with the Preferential Trade Agreement concluded between us and others. Thank you very much!