BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.14
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
Azerbaijani Parliament’s Speaker Sahiba Gafarova, during her official visit to Turkey, met with the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trend reports on September 14.
Having expressed her gratitude to the Turkish President for the opportunity to meet, Gafarova conveyed to him greetings and best wishes from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
The speaker said that Azerbaijan and Turkey support and rely on each other in all crucial issues.
"The statements made personally by you, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu, and Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar, in connection with the provocation committed by Armenia on July 12 in the direction of the Tovuz district, were greatly welcomed by the Azerbaijani people,” she noted. “We have always felt the support of fraternal Turkey and we thank you and the members of the Turkish government for the unequivocal expression of this support.”
Gafarova stated that the threats that events in the region pose for Turkey are serious, and Azerbaijan sees it.
“However, the decisive position of the Turkish state, in particular the position of Your Excellency regarding these threats, is greatly welcomed by the Azerbaijani public, too. The struggle that you have conducted in Syria, Iraq, Libya, the Black, Mediterranean and Aegean Seas is a national struggle for defense of the Turkish people’s fair interests. We understand this,” she also said.
“As President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said a few days ago, when receiving the newly appointed Ambassador of Greece to Azerbaijan, Turkey is not only our friend and partner, but also a brotherly country for us. We support and will support Turkey without any hesitations in all cases. Turks are our brothers, so in all matters we’ll be with them," she stressed.
“Sincere friendship and brotherhood between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkey - President Ilham Aliyev and you - give an additional impetus to relations and support between our countries, Gafarova pointed out.
The Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Parliament congratulated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the discovery of a natural gas field in the Black Sea and stressed the important role of this in meeting the energy needs of Turkey.
In turn, the Turkish president wished success to the newly elected Azerbaijani parliament. He asked to convey his greetings and best wishes to President Ilham Aliyev.
“Turkey and Azerbaijan are two brotherly countries. The joy of Azerbaijan is our joy, its sorrow is our sorrow,” he said.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that the countries always occupy the same position at international platforms and support each other in crucial issues.
“The recent words voiced by President Ilham Aliyev when accepting the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador of Greece to Azerbaijan are a clear proof of this,” he said. "Therefore, we once again express our gratitude to the entire fraternal people of Azerbaijan headed by President Ilham Aliyev.”
He also stressed that Turkey has always been next to Azerbaijan and in the future this will always be so.
Touching upon the joint economic projects implemented by the two countries in the region, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars projects are part of strategic cooperation between them.
The president also expressed satisfaction with the relations between the parliaments of the two fraternal countries.
He noted that Azerbaijani and Turkish parliamentarians have ample opportunities to work together, shoulder to shoulder in international organizations.