Baku, December 22, AZERTAC

The 12th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Türkiye was held in Baku on December 22.

A one-on-one meeting between Azerbaijan’s Prime Minister Ali Asadov and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz was first held, followed by the discussions in an expanded format.

The 12th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission, chaired by Prime Minister Ali Asadov and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, was attended by representatives of the relevant state authorities of both countries.

Prime Minister Ali Asadov said that Azerbaijan and Türkiye are bound together by strong bonds of friendship and brotherhood anchored in deep historical and cultural roots.

PM Ali Asadov mentioned that the historic Shusha Declaration signed by the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Türkiye on June 15, 2021, elevated the relations between the two countries to the highest level of alliance.

According to him, the personal relations and close contacts between President Ilham Aliyev and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are the key factors ensuring the steady advancement of the strategic partnership.

The meeting also emphasized that this year alone, the two countries’ Presidents paid seven reciprocal visits.

The sides recalled that during President Ilham Aliyev's visit to Türkiye on June 19, the opening ceremony of the "Azerbaijan" quarter was held in Kahramanmaraş, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the military parade dedicated to the 5th anniversary of the Victory in the Patriotic War in Baku on November 8, noting that all of this is a manifestation of the high-level political dialogue.

The parties hailed the traditional close cooperation and mutual support between Azerbaijan and Türkiye within international organizations.

Emphasizing that the Organization of Turkic States is of special importance for both countries, the sides mentioned the tireless efforts of President Ilham Aliyev and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to enhance the unity of the Turkic world and the influence of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) on the international stage.

The parties also recalled that the 12th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States was organized in Gabala in October of this year, and that the chairmanship of the organization was transferred to Azerbaijan. PM Ali Asadov expressed his confidence that the organization would continue its development and further enhance its influence during Azerbaijan’s chairmanship.

The meeting highlighted that a new format - the meeting of the Heads of Government/Vice President was established at the OTS this year, and that Azerbaijan would host the next meeting in 2026 following the first meeting held in Kyrgyzstan.

Touching on bilateral relations in the economic and trade sphere, PM Ali Asadov mentioned that Türkiye is one of Azerbaijan’s major trade partners. It was noted that the existing economic potential and geographical advantages provide real opportunities for boosting the volume of trade turnover to a higher level.

The sides reviewed the results of the Preferential Trade Agreement, underscoring the importance of expanding its framework.

Both parties praised the current level of cooperation in the field of investment.

The meeting highlighted that the megaprojects jointly implemented by Azerbaijan and Türkiye in the energy sector are of great regional and global importance.

The strategic importance of the Southern Gas Corridor was emphasized, and it was stated that in recent months the number of countries Azerbaijan is exporting gas has reached 14, 10 of which are European countries.

The sides also hailed the fact that thanks to the joint efforts, the gas transportation to Syria has already launched, adding that for the first time Azerbaijani gas has reached the Middle East region by passing through the territory of Türkiye.

The meeting underscored that the Iğdır-Nakhchivan natural gas pipeline, which was commissioned in March of this year, has enhanced the energy security of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

Both sides acknowledged that the mutually beneficial cooperation has also been established in the field of electricity, with active work underway on the Nakhchivan-Türkiye energy hub project today. The sides underlined that the export of green energy to Türkiye and Europe by using the renewable energy potential of Nakhchivan is among the priorities.

Describing the transport sector as one of the priority areas of the Azerbaijan-Türkiye cooperation, the sides also discussed the cooperation between the two countries in the field of cargo transportation by road and railway transport.

The meeting emphasized that the Azerbaijani investment boosted the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway's capacity from 1 up to 5 million tons last year.

PM Ali Asadov stressed the importance of speeding up efforts to attract additional cargo flows to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

Both sides emphasized the strategic importance of developing the Middle Corridor for both countries.

The meeting highlighted the significance of the agreements reached in Washington on connecting Azerbaijan’s mainland with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

It was noted that the Zangezur Corridor, which will have a cargo carrying capacity of 15 million tons at the initial stage, will become an integral part the Middle Corridor. The importance of laying the foundation of the Kars-Igdır-Aralık-Dilucu railway line – a part of the Zangezur Corridor - in August was emphasized.

The meeting also underlined that Azerbaijan and Türkiye also attach great importance to humanitarian relations, both sides prioritizing strengthening of educational cooperation.

The parties described the Türkiye-Azerbaijan University, which began operating in the 2024-2025 academic year, as prime example of successful educational cooperation.

Both sides commended the opening of a new branch of the Turkish Anatolian Lyceum in Baku in September of this year, noting that an Azerbaijani school will also be established in Istanbul beginning from the next academic year.

The parties hailed the successful vocational education cooperation, looking toward to integrating Türkiye's best practices in Azerbaijan.

They also assessed joint efforts in the fields of environmental protection and combating climate change.

PM Ali Asadov conveyed his congratulations to Cevdet Yılmaz on Türkiye's election as the host of COP31, reaffirming Azerbaijan’s readiness to provide comprehensive support to the brotherly country in the preparations for the global event.

Delegates from both countries reported on the meeting's agenda items.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Prime Minister Ali Asadov and Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz signed the Protocol of the 12th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Türkiye, and approved the 110-provision Action Plan covering the relevant areas of bilateral cooperation.