OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS

Mr President, my dear brother Ilham Aliyev,

Distinguished guests,

I warmly greet you.

I hope that the ceremony marking the first delivery of gas to Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline to transport Azerbaijan’s gas to Turkey and other European countries will be successful.

The completion of TANAP, which is a model project in terms of both bilateral and regional cooperation with Azerbaijan, is a source of pride for all of us.

After the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipelines and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway in the field of transport that we have successfully implemented, TANAP is yet another fruit of our cooperation which is capable of changing the fate of the region.

The United States and the European Union have also provided significant support to the realization of TANAP.

The steps we have taken together have played a crucial role in completing this historic project quickly and without any problems.

Timely completion of other projects of the Southern Gas Corridor, which will enable the transportation of gas to Europe from a new source in the years ahead, is of great importance as well.

Following the first gas delivery to TANAP we will mark the opening of the pipeline with a large ceremony on June 12 in Eskisehir.

We would be very happy to welcome you in Eskisehir to witness this historic moment.

On the other hand, I would like to congratulate those who have contributed to the organization of the 25th Anniversary International Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition, and convey my best wishes for further and continued success to this important event.

Taking this pleasant opportunity once again I hope that TANAP will be beneficial for our region, particularly for Turkey and Azerbaijan, and convey my sincere greetings to all the participants.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

President of the Republic of Turkey