Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 16
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkey have held discussions in one-on-one and expanded formats.
The meetings discussed the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway's construction, said Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov at a joint press conference with Turkey's Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu in Baku.
Mammadyarov said Azerbaijani side believes that Turkey will complete the works on BTK's construction in its territory in late this year or early next year.
"This project is important not only for the three participating countries [Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia]. A number of countries, including Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and China, attach great importance to this railway," the minister added.
He noted that during the meetings, the parties also discussed regional issues and the Syrian refugee problem.
"Azerbaijan also has the problem of refugees and internally displaced persons," Mammadyarov added. "Turkey supports Azerbaijan on Nagorno-Karabakh problem, and we are grateful for that."
Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu is in Azerbaijan for an official trip.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Edited by SI