Last week the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Turkish Prime Minister Rajab Tayyib Erdogan held discussions in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Firstly Ilham Aliyev and Rajab Tayyib Erdogan held one-to-one meeting and later, the issues of development of bilateral and regional economic co-operation were discussed at the meeting of the delegations of Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The sides stated that that energy projects of world importance such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum are carried out between Turkey and Azerbaijan. At the Azerbaijani-Turkish high level negotiations, it was decided to attach Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan (NAR) to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project. The sides agreed to join Nakhchivan to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project. It was decided to develop a feasibility study of the idea.
The Baku- Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki- Kars project includes the construction of a 105km-railway road, with 76 km section running via Turkey and 29 km section via Georgia. Moreover, 183 km section of Akhalkalaki-Marabda-Tbilisi railway will be also reconstructed to improve the carrying capacity to 15mln tons of cargo per year
The Premier Erdogan stated that the corporation between Azerbaijan and Turkey is further developing in all fields. The Premier expressed his confidence that the participation of Turkish ministers in this meeting will contribute to corporation between Azerbaijan and Turkey. "The border region Nakhchivan is of special significance for Turkey as well," said Erdogan. The Premier expressed his satisfaction with his visit to the region which he was planning to pay long ago," Erdogan said.
The head of the Turkish government believes that the realization of joint projects by Azerbaijan and Turkey serves strengthening of positions of two countries in the region. "The enhanced corporation between Azerbaijan and Turkey in energy sphere benefits both countries," Erdogan said. The Premier stated that from this viewpoint, the oil and gas pipelines Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Erzurum are of great significance.