Joint Press Conference by Aliyev and Erdogan

During the talks with Prime Minister Erdogan the Turkish side was informed about the situation around the Karabakh settlement. Azerbaijan thanks Turkey for its support in this matter. This was said by the head of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at a joint news conference with the Turkish Prime Minister in Gabala.

A special place in the talks belonged to the issue of economic cooperation, with the priority at the energy sector. "After the meeting in Izmir important events happened; we signed an agreement on the draft TANAP, which has received a lot of support in the international arena. I hope that it will be implemented in 5 years and Azerbaijani gas will go through Turkey to Europe," said Aliyev.

Another important project is the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad. Some neighboring countries and partners want to join this project and it is a very positive development, Aliyev said.

Another issue discussed was the military-technical cooperation; in this field there has been a great promotion in recent years.

Negotiations on all these issues were a success and the discussions were held with full understanding and support to each other, said Aliyev.

In turn, the Turkish Prime Minister said today that the bilateral trade is $ 3.5 billion a year, and in 2015 it will reach 5 billion, and by 2020 this figure will reach $ 20 billion.

He recognized the importance of the development of economic cooperation on the project TANAP. He also cited the joint TASMUS project involved in the field of defense communications.

The railroad between Nakhchivan and Igdir will be also important because it will connect these border regions of the two countries, Erdogan said.

During the briefing, Ilham Aliyev was asked about the possibility of lifting the visa regime for citizens of Turkey. Aliyev said that the topic was discussed and the sides decided "to gradually achieve this goal." Thus, for certain categories of people - businessmen, scientists and famous figures special treatment will be applied. After settling internal procedures and mechanisms Turkish citizens will be able to visit Azerbaijan without a visa.

On the question of TANAP, Aliyev said that this project is open to third countries that may share in it.

As to the further route of gas after Turkey, it can go to Europe via Bulgaria or Greece. These are technical issues and now SOCAR is discussing them with its partners "to choose the safest and most cost-effective route," said Aliyev.

In conclusion, Erdogan was asked about Ankara's position on the Karabakh conflict settlement and the probability of opening the border with Armenia. The Turkish Prime Minister said that until a solution of the conflict is found "and the issue of release of one or two areas is resolved, the issue of opening the borders can not stand."

"Our position is that Armenians must withdraw from all the occupied territories, and we will continue to support Azerbaijan and its just position," concluded Erdogan. -02D-