WNAM MONITORING: Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said on Tuesday that his country and Türkiye are coordinating on new projects for the “coming decades.”
At a joint news conference alongside his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan after talks Baku, Bayramov said sectors “traditionally distinguished by their strategic importance” were the subject of their discussions.
Putting special emphasis on the energy sector, Bayramov said the implementation and operation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline project and the Southern Gas Corridor represent a “massive” contribution to the energy security of Azerbaijan and Türkiye, as well as a “vast geographical region.”
“We believe that, at the current stage, there are projects with immense prospects and great potential geared towards the coming decades, and work on them is currently being carried out through close coordination between the two countries,” Bayramov said.
He also highlighted initiatives in the field of alternative energy, including projects involving the delivery of alternative green energy produced in Azerbaijan to Europe via the Black Sea, as well as the project to connect Azerbaijan’s autonomous Nakhchivan region with Türkiye via a new energy cable.
Describing these initiatives as holding “great strategic importance,” Bayramov said they view their implementation as opening up “new avenues with immense potential.”
“They facilitate the delivery of alternative energy – via Türkiye – not only to the markets of Azerbaijan and Türkiye but also to the European market,” he added.
Bayramov said he and Fidan held extensive talks regarding Azerbaijan’s engagement in multilateral platforms, and that their bilateral cooperation within various platforms, such as the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), was specifically discussed.
Noting that the OTS will hold its upcoming summit in Türkiye next month, Bayramov said they had productive discussions regarding preparations for that meeting and that the organization holds “special significance” for both countries.
“As the COP29 presidency, our country expresses its full support for Türkiye — which will soon host COP31 — and our entire team, having participated in COP29 and remained active in climate diplomacy since then, will play a highly active role in the successful execution of COP31 … both during the preparatory phase and the event itself,” he said.
Bayramov said he and Fidan also exchanged views on the situation in the South Caucasus and the Middle East.
Speaking of measures taken by Baku and Ankara concerning regional connectivity, Bayramov said the establishment of new transport infrastructure in Azerbaijan is proceeding rapidly.
In this context, Bayramov said, approximately 95% of highways leading from mainland Azerbaijan to the border with neighboring Armenia is completed, while railway construction is about 75% complete.
Bayramov said reconstruction work on railway connections in Nakhchivan is essential, and operations have already commenced in this regard.
The foreign minister said direct talks are being conducted between Yerevan and Washington concerning the 42-kilometer section of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project passing through Armenian territory, and that the US regularly informs Azerbaijan about the issue.
He described this section as the “missing link,” noting that a “significant new transport corridor,” linking Europe to Central Asia via Türkiye and Azerbaijan, will emerge once the route is established.
