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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2
Trend:
Economic power eventually transforms into political power, President Ilham Aliyev said at the opening ceremony of the Europe link of the TANAP gas pipeline held in Ipsala settlement, Edirne province, Turkey on Nov. 30.
The head of state noted that the Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship and brotherhood are getting stronger every day.
"I do not know of any other countries in the world that would be as close to each other as Turkey and Azerbaijan. The trade between us is growing. In nine months of this year, trade has increased by more than 40 percent to reach $3.4 billion. Mutual investments testify to our brotherhood and also show that we rely on each other. We support each other's economies. To date, Turkey has invested more than $12 billion in the economy of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has invested $17.5 billion in Turkey. These investments improve the well-being of our peoples," President Ilham Aliyev said.
"At the same time, Turkey is an open country and a very favorable place for foreign investment today. Thanks to the leadership of my dear brother President Erdogan, Turkey has made great strides both in the economic and political spheres. We remember the old days quite well. At that time, Turkey could not get rid of its debt to the International Monetary Fund and other financial organizations, depended on them. Economic dependence can, perforce, lead to political dependence. It is thanks to the thoughtful economic policy pursued by President Erdogan that Turkey managed to get rid of this dependence and now has its say as a powerful economy in the world. Today, Turkey is a power house on a global scale. The authority of Turkey is growing not only in its region but throughout the world. Its capabilities are expanding, everyone should know this and no-one should forget who this fraternal country owes this to."
"Quite a few books have been written about the role of leaders in history, scientific works have been created, there are various opinions and theories. All of them are viable. But history shows that the role of a leader in many cases is crucial – this is undeniable. Today, powerful Turkey and its leader personify development and stability and allow it the opportunity to look to the future with optimism. We are pleased with this because the strength of Turkey means our own strength, the success of Turkey is our own success. We will continue to walk shoulder to shoulder as two fraternal countries. All horizons are open before us. The giant projects implemented testify to our strength and increase our power. Economic power eventually transforms into political power," the Azerbaijani president said.
President Ilham Aliyev added that TANAP and the Southern Gas Corridor are also about energy security.
"Today, energy security is spoken about on a global scale. This issue has entered the world agenda. I believe that an excellent format for cooperation has been created here. Azerbaijan as a producing country, transit countries and consumer countries work together. We have the same interests and the income is distributed fairly. I want to say again: all these projects strengthen stability," the head of state said.
"I am sure that all of the joint projects we will implement afterwards will be as successful as TANAP, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars. Turkey and Azerbaijan will confidently march into the future. Long live Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship and brotherhood!"