Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug. 14 / Trend A.Akhundov /
During the year the trade turnover of Azerbaijan with the member countries of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking states (CCTS) increased by 55.5 percent, while for the six months of 2012 this figure rose by 35 percent, Azerbaijani Economic Development Minister Shahin Mustafayev said on Tuesday in a speech in Baku at the second meeting of the economy ministers of the Council member states.
He said the share of these countries in Azerbaijan's foreign trade turnover is steadily growing.
"Despite the ongoing crisis in world markets, the economies of member countries of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking states are observing stability, and the total GDP of these countries has exceeded $1 trillion," Mustafayev said.
The minister said the economic success of the Council's member countries create good conditions for development of cooperation within the organization.
"Today, energy from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan goes through Turkey to Europe. In addition, projects that are just beginning to be implemented, such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, Trans-Anatolian pipeline (TANAP), construction of a new international trade seaport in Alyat and others are designed to increase the export potential of the region," Mustafayev said.
He said the main purpose of this meeting is preparation for the next summit with the participation of Heads of State in Bishkek.
The Baku meeting is attended by the ministers of economy of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as representatives of public and private sectors in these countries. The meeting will discuss the current state of and prospects for enhancing cooperation between the parties.
The first meeting of economic ministers of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking states was held in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on October 13, 2011. It was attended by ministers and deputy ministers of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey.
