STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV
-Honorable Mr. President, my dear friend,
Distinguished media representatives,
Mr. President, first of all, I would like to thank you and the whole people of Turkey for inviting me to pay an official visit to your country. It is a great pleasure for me to be in Turkey again.
As you have mentioned this is my first official trip after the presidential elections, and, naturally, the destination is Turkey. This points to the high level of our relations.
The Turkey-Azerbaijan bilateral relations were established after Azerbaijan regained its state independence. However, our peoples have been living and working together providing support to each other for centuries. Today, the Turkish-Azerbaijani relations are developing very rapidly. My visit and its fruitful outcomes allow us to say that we will maintain this good dynamics in the years to come, and will also speed up our ties in all areas.
We have multi-faceted ties. We are satisfied with the level of our cooperation in many spheres - political, economic, cultural, energy, trade and transport. We have good results in all fields.
The issues we have discussed today will both give impetus to further development of bilateral relations and have a positive impact on the current situation in the region. It is no secret that today the Turkey-Azerbaijan ties have a serious and positive impact on the processes taking place in the region.
All our joint initiatives - either in political, or economic, or energy sphere - contribute to strengthening peace, deepening cooperation and establishing full stability in the region. The main essence of the Caucasus stability and cooperation Platform recently proposed by Turkey also is that all countries of this region should establish normal relations with one another, all problems should be resolved, confrontations should end and peace should be established in the region. Of course, this, first and foremost, requires settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. We have always highly appreciated Turkey`s efforts to find a just solution to this problem, we welcome its active involvement in this. With great hopes we look at Turkey`s initiatives to be actively involved in the processes taking place in the region. We believe this can give very good results, and we can see good omens for this. Efforts must be continued to find a solution to this problem. I consider a Joint declaration signed recently in Moscow a good ground for a possible peaceful resolution.
The essence of the declaration is that it reflects norms of the international law and decisions and resolutions adopted in this framework, and puts an emphasis on the stage-by-stage settlement of the issue. I believe that this can be a very good ground for solving the problem.
Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity, which is recognized by the world community, must be restored, and the occupied lands must be liberated from agressors. Over a million of Azerbaijanis must return to their homes. I hope that the new situation in the region and Turkey`s serious involvement in these processes as well as Russia’s giving a new momentum to the mediation mission and increasing efforts by other Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group, America and France - all the combined efforts will lead to settlement of the issue.
However, the region is moving forward, Azerbaijan is moving forward, the Turkey-Azerbaijan relations are enriched with concrete projects.
Our energy and transport projects have become a reality thanks to our initiatives and huge efforts. We have managed to do this amid a very complex geopolitical situation. This demonstrates that we cope with our tasks thanks to our combined efforts, our common will based on brotherhood between Turkey and Azerbaijan. These projects will open up new opportunities and will give - and they already give - economic benefits, and will also contribute to deepening cooperation in the region. We have common views on all these questions.
Today we have also widely discussed international problems, and I join honorable President Abdullah Gul in extending congratulations to Barack Obama.
I believe the US-Azerbaijani relations will continue developing rapidly. I wish the President-elect success.
Once again I would like to thank you my brother, Mr. President, and all our Turkish friends for hospitality, kind and sincere attitude. I believe the two brotherly countries will continue moving forward side by side.
Thank you.
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