Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 30
Trend:
The Istanbul Declaration was signed following the sixth trilateral meeting of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a message on Oct. 30.
The ministers emphasized their commitment to the Urumieh, Nakhchivan, Van, Ramsar and Baku Statements adopted in the previous trilateral meetings of the foreign ministers;
They stressed their strong will to further solidarity and cooperation among the peoples of the three countries based on common history, culture, religion and traditions;
The ministers agreed to continue close consultations on issues of common interest at different levels and platforms and within the framework of international and regional organizations, with a view to enhancing regional and international peace, security and stability;
They stressed their commitment to principles of international law, in particular, respect of and support for sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of internationally recognized borders, peaceful settlement of all disputes, as well as non-interference in internal affairs;
The ministers reiterated in this regard the importance of the earliest resolution of Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of the above-mentioned principles;
They underscored the significance of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) which reflects the success of the multilateral negotiations and diplomacy; acknowledged that the successful implementation of JCPOA requires the complete fulfilment of the obligations by all the parties for allowing them to fully enjoy benefits provided in JCPOA;
Taking into account the Islamic Republic of Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA as confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency which is a part of the Resolution 2231 (2015) of the UN Security Council, the ministers recalled the commitments of all the UN members to contribute to the implementation of JCPOA; in this regard condemned unilateral sanctions as they negatively affect trade and commercial development among their countries;
They reiterated their firm commitment to strengthen their cooperation on the basis of the relevant international instruments in the fight against terrorism, violent extremism and separatism in all their forms and manifestations, transnational organized crime, illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and precursors, illicit trade in arms, human trafficking, smuggling of migrants, money laundering, cybercrime, crimes against cultural and historical heritage, and other transnational security threats;
The ministers agreed to positively evaluate the candidatures of the three countries in the international and regional organizations;
Underlining the favourable geographical location of the three countries situated on important international transit corridors, the ministers encouraged further efforts to increase cooperation for the development of transport infrastructure to take full advantage of their transit potential and better integration to the international transit system;
They stressed the importance of large-scale projects for increasing interconnectivity between the three countries; and encouraged the full utilization of the potential presented by the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway that would be beneficial for the three countries, and underscored the importance of taking necessary steps for the earliest completion of Rasht-Astara railway, as well as encouraged to make use of the full capacity of the ports for the benefit of the three countries;
Recognizing internationally combined transport as one of the means of facilitating the orderly expansion of trade, the ministers underlined the need to stimulate the development of smooth, economic and efficient multimodal transport services to meet the requirements of the promotion of trilateral trade;
They expressed their willingness to enhance commercial cooperation in the field of energy;
The ministers agreed to strengthen economic cooperation, to use existing potential for promotion of investment and trade, and to enhance cooperation by implementing the joint projects and programmes such as in the fields of renewable energy, transport, border and customs, banking, telecommunication, industry, agriculture, tourism and environment;
They encouraged the establishment of a Trilateral Business Forum to further strengthen the economic and trade relations and create new opportunities among the business circles of the three countries; supported the improvement of the economic and commercial cooperation between the small and medium enterprises; emphasized the importance of cooperation among the public, private sector and academia of the three countries in the field of digital transformation;
The ministers stated the importance of conducting trilateral research, development, innovation and knowledge-based technological projects, in the field of science and technology among the relevant institutions of Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey;
They underscored the importance of cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, including culture, education, science, health care, youth exchange, tourism and sports and expressed their readiness to initiate and promote joint projects and events in these spheres;
The ministers agreed to encourage relevant Ministries and Agencies to enhance trilateral cooperation aimed at practical implementation of the provisions of this and previous Statements and make efforts towards their fulfilment;
Taking into account that the timetable for implementing the Trilateral Sectoral Cooperation Action Plan will be expired up to the end of 2018, they agreed to extend the timetable for another three years up to the end of 2021;
Considering the proposals exchanged among the three countries in the fields elaborated in the Trilateral Sectoral Cooperation Action Plans, the ministers agreed to determine their representatives promptly after the sixth meeting with a view to holding first sessions of subcommittees in Iran as soon as possible;
They reiterated the importance of holding regular meetings in the trilateral format to continue coordination and cooperation on regional and global issues;
The ministers agreed to hold the next meeting in Iran.
