Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkey agreed on development of transport communications

Baku/27.06.22/Turan: The trilateral meeting of the Foreign and Transport Ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kazakhstan ended Monday with the signing of the Baku Declaration.

The main topics of discussions were the strengthening of trilateral and regional cooperation and development of the potential of the East-West Middle Corridor across the Caspian Sea.

Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov stated that this format was designed to strengthen regional ties on a mutually beneficial basis.

Thus, it is planned to expand the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway corridor (BTC) within the cooperation framework.

Besides, after the liberation of Azerbaijani territories from the Armenian occupation, new realities and opportunities for the development of transport communications have emerged in the region.

To this effect, the creation of Zangezur corridor can open a new route for transportation of EU, Turkish and Asian countries, Bayramov said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also stressed the importance of the Zangezur Corridor. "We support the normalization of relations with Armenia and the opening of the Zangezur corridor," Çavuşoğlu said.

He said that the three countries are cooperating within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States and on international platforms. "We have to increase our potential. Projects like TANAP, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars have caused changes in our region. Now there is a need to develop the Middle Corridor," Çavuşoğlu further said.

Note that the transit across the Caspian Sea is important, he continued, and countries in the region should develop infrastructure and communication links.

"I hope that other Turkic states will also make a great contribution to activities in this direction," the Turkish Foreign Minister noted.

A joint Baku declaration was signed at the end of the meeting. There the parties stated "the need for active operation of new corridors that will strengthen ties in the region, including the creation of rail and road corridors as set forth in the trilateral statements of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia on November 9/10, 2020 and January 11, 2021.

Also, the Ministers emphasized the importance of developing a corridor linking East Zangezur and Nakhchivan as a promising part of the Middle Corridor.

Recall that the next trilateral meeting will be held in Kazakhstan. Before that the transport departments will form a trilateral working group.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi, as well as Azerbaijani Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev, Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank and Kazakh Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Kairbek Uskenbayev attended the meeting in Baku. -06В-