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ISTANBUL: Erdogan boosts bilateral ties during visit to Azerbaijan

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  • ISTANBUL: Erdogan boosts bilateral ties during visit to Azerbaijan

    Today's Zaman, Turkey
    Sept 3 2014

    President ErdoÄ?an boosts bilateral ties during visit to Azerbaijan


    Turkey's newly elected President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an has stated in
    his first official visit to Azerbaijan that it is time for the
    implementation of promises given to Turkey's close ally, pointing out
    that his delegation will ask for those promises to be implemented
    during his visit to the NATO summit to be held in Wales on Sept. 4-5.

    `There were promises given to Azerbaijan both at NATO summits and in
    other related meetings. We will bring these promises to the agenda
    there [at the NATO summit] and ask for them to be implemented by the
    countries concerned. It should be done the way the promises are
    fulfilled for other countries, step by step,' ErdoÄ?an said in a joint
    press conference with Azerbaijani President Ä°lham Aliyev in Baku on
    Wednesday.

    ErdoÄ?an is paying his first official visit to Azerbaijan, a country
    with which Turkey enjoys a close relationship, after being elected as
    the 12th president of Turkey. His first official trip abroad was paid
    to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) on Monday.

    ErdoÄ?an's plane landed in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, late on
    Tuesday. The Turkish president and his wife Emine ErdoÄ?an were
    welcomed at Heydar Aliyev International Airport by Azerbaijani Deputy
    Prime Minister Yaqub Eyyubov. Having been greeted by high-ranking
    officials, ErdoÄ?an and his wife walked past a guard of honor.

    An official welcoming ceremony was staged for President ErdoÄ?an by
    Azerbaijani President Ä°lham Aliyev in front of the presidential palace
    in Baku on Wednesday. During the ceremony, ErdoÄ?an was accompanied by
    Turkey's new Foreign Minister Mevlüt ÇavuÅ?oÄ?lu, Defense Minister Ä°smet
    Yılmaz and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız.

    After a meeting with President Aliyev, ErdoÄ?an later chaired the
    Turkish delegation in talks with their Azerbaijani counterparts which
    ended with a joint press conference by both leaders.

    During the talks, ErdoÄ?an touched on topics such as the
    Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP)
    project, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the Shah Deniz II project
    as well as the current state of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad
    project.

    Noting that both sides discussed bilateral ties in various fields
    including culture, education, foreign affairs and energy issues,
    ErdoÄ?an said that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict -- which is locked in
    deadlock after more than 20 years of Armenian occupation of
    Azerbaijani territory -- was the main topic of conversation for both
    leaders.

    `It is obvious that Nagorno-Karabakh is the most important topic
    between our two countries,' ErdoÄ?an said. Reiterating his views on the
    resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, ErdoÄ?an told journalists
    that the conflict should be resolved by respecting the territorial
    integrity of Azerbaijan.

    Nagorno-Karabakh -- an Azerbaijani territory predominantly populated
    by ethnic Armenians -- was the subject of a bitter conflict in the
    early 1990s when Armenian armed forces occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and
    seven Azerbaijani-populated adjacent provinces. Although a cease-fire
    was agreed upon, there has been no lasting peace agreement and
    diplomatic efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict under
    the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group have so far failed. 20 percent of
    Azerbaijani territory is still under Armenian control, despite four UN
    resolutions demanding the withdrawal of Armenian forces. After the
    start of the conflict, Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993
    in solidarity with Azerbaijan.

    Azerbaijani President Aliyev spoke after ErdoÄ?an at the same press
    conference, emphasizing the strength of Turkish-Azerbaijani ethnic,
    linguistic and historical ties and mentioned his gratitude to ErdoÄ?an
    for his efforts "to support Azerbaijan's just position for a solution
    to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict."

    "Turkey has always supported Azerbaijan [over the Nagorno-Karabakh
    conflict] on all international platforms and so stands by justice and
    impartiality," Aliyev said.

    During his visit, ErdoÄ?an is scheduled to visit the grave of the late
    Azerbaijani leader Heydar Aliyev and the Baku Turkish Martyrs'
    Memorial.

    http://www.todayszaman.com/_president-erdogan-boosts-bilateral-ties-during-visit-to-azerbaijan_357612.html

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