Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended a groundbreaking ceremony of the Turkish section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway in Kars on Thursday.

The President made a speech at the event.

``Distinguished President, my dear brother Abdullah Gul!

Distinguished President, my dear brother Mikheil Saakashvili!

Ladies and gentlemen!

Dear friends!

First of all I would like to express my deepest gratitude to President Abdullah Gul for the invitation to visit brotherly Turkey. Being in brotherly Turkey again is a source of great pride for me.

This day is really remarkable, and this has already been mentioned today. Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan are today making history. All our projects are being successfully implemented thanks to fruitful cooperation of the three countries. On the one hand we are successfully cooperating in the bilateral format, and on the other hand our trilateral ties allow us to materialize concrete projects.

This, surely, has a great history. Our peoples have always been maintaining good, friendly relations. Over many long years they, as friendly countries, have been helping each other, cooperating, living together, and creating.

Turkey was first country to recognize Azerbaijan`s independence after it restored it. Since then, relations between us have been built on the basis of friendship and fraternity. These ties are dynamically developing.

Today, I can say that they are on the highest level. The Turkey-Azerbaijan relations are exemplary in all areas - political, economic, cultural. This allows us to better use our potential. Prospects for the Turkey-Azerbaijan relations are also sufficiently huge. Our joint projects, surely, strengthen our countries, bring them closer to each other, create a new atmosphere in the region, and open up new opportunities for cooperation.

Azerbaijan-Georgia relations are also developing successfully. Our peoples are fraternal ones. For many years we were deprived of our independence and were a part of other countries. However, we managed to preserve our national traditions and customs, history, culture, language. The Georgia-Azerbaijan relations started developing immediately after they became independent. We are strategic partners, and are doing a huge joint work. Many things in the region depend on the Georgia-Azerbaijan relations. My friend Mikheil Saakashvili noted that Azerbaijan has always been unhesitatingly making every effort to help the brotherly people of Georgia in the country`s hour of need. It must be like this. Surely, each country has its own interests, economic potential and economic priorities. But if our friendly country experiences temporary problems, we must be with it. I think today`s event, current course of history demonstrate how deep-rooted our relations are. I can say that, probably, there is not an example of such trilateral cooperation in the world. On the one hand this is the cooperation in political, economic and cultural spheres, on the other hand, this cooperation is very important in terms of implementing concrete projects. Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan have together implemented huge projects, which are important not only to our countries and people, but also to the whole Europe and to the whole world. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which once was considered a myth by several circles, or some people cast doubt on it, is today a reality. What did make it possible? It was the will of the three peoples, the unity of our peoples and cooperation opportunities. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, once considered a myth, is today operating successfully. This year the pipeline will export over 40 billion tons of Azerbaijan`s oil. However, some people say that there is not oil in Azerbaijan, and that a third side`s oil will be required to fill the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan. We do not need this, the Azerbaijani oil will ensure the effective operation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline for many years to come. Next year the pipeline will be operational at its full capacity, and the volume of the exported oil will exceed 50 million tons.

Some circles also had strong doubts about the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline. But life, reality and our tireless work have realized this important project. Today, when energy security issues are at forefront, we can make sure again how important the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline is. In 1996, we began development of the gas-rich Shahdeniz field. For the time being, it is already producing gas, which is exported to the brotherly countries. Today, Azerbaijan is a huge gas exporter. Exploration work has shown substantial growth in our gas reserve. Gas reserves in Azerbaijan are estimated to be 2 trillion cubic meters at the very least. It will fill our country’s gas need for decades to come, and will contribute to ensuring energy security of the friendly, brotherly countries.

There was a time when some did take the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project seriously too. This project was thought to simply remain on paper. There were talks, negotiations on this project, but even in our countries, people did not believe we would manage to realize it. But we did do it. The great contribution to realization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project was made by the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipelines. We have already opened this corridor. We have linked Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey by the energy projects. Naturally, the oil and gas projects are what have allowed us to connect our transport infrastructure today. We have managed to do it too. I am convinced that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will be put into operation as scheduled. It will promote strengthening further the cooperation in the region, and ensure better defending the national interests of Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. We will become an indispensable transport hub for Europe and Asia, that, of course, will bring in huge economic and - it is no secret - political benefits. We are already feeling it.

I want to repeat that all these projects define the processes taking place in the region. It became possible largely thanks to our efforts to achieve the atmosphere of cooperation in the region. Today, we can see increase in the number of countries wishing to join our projects. Of course, everybody will benefit from the use of our energy and transport infrastructure, because it is the most efficient route. It is the most efficient and advantageous route to deliver energy resources to the world markets, as it will considerably shorten the distance to do so.

I don’t doubt that the fate of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project will repeat that of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum ones as there is every possibility for that.

That we have gathered here today is the vivid evidence of that.

Looking at the resent past, one can make sure that how important events Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan have marked in the past few years. In 2005, together we commissioned the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. In 2006, we marked the Azerbaijan natural gas’ reaching the port of Ceyhan. In 2007, on the Turkey-Greece border, we marked delivery of Azerbaijani gas to the European Union market. In 2007, we also marked the start of construction of the Georgian section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, and today we are inaugurating the groundbreaking of the Turkish section. I wish more such wonderful events in the future, and am sure they will be as we have every possibilities for that - political will, growing economic potential and cooperation. I think our successful cooperation should become an example for other parties. Everybody must know that work goes much better where there are friendship, cordiality, mutual understanding and mutual support. Today, we can see the result of the courageous decisions and steps. It is just the beginning. I see that we will have successful and bright future, and our countries will consolidate their economic and political positions.

Speaking from this high rostrum, I would like to cordially congratulate on the occasion the peoples of Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. I wish all our fellow countrymen good health, success, peace and prosperity``.

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