Summit of Turkic leaders marks another milestone in turning Turkey into gas hub

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zerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev along with the leaders of the fraternal nations of Turkiye and Turkmenistan has had another high-level and successful summit to endorse unwavering support for the transfer of Turkmen natural gas to Western markets.

Among a plethora of vital topics on the agenda of the December 14 summit in Turkmenistan’s Awaza, the leaders explored the viability of further steps to deepen cooperation among the three nations in various areas, particularly trade, energy, and transportation.

Closely bound to each other by ethnic, religious, and cultural roots and shared moral values, Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Turkmenistan are rightfully proud of the rich historical and cultural heritage of their nations and their great contributions to human civilization, the Azerbaijani leader underscored in his address.

Tied with historical bonds and enriched by political relations, Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Turkmenistan are determined to further deepen ties and be supportive of one another to expedite and cement all-out relations. The Shusha Declaration Azerbaijan and Turkiye inked in 2021 elevated the comprehensive inter-state relations to the level of strategic alliance and the Awaza summit of the three nations will be another milestone in conquering the peaks that once seemed an insurmountable obstacle.

Baku, Ankara, and Ashgabat also provide mutual support and cooperate with one another on both bilateral and multilateral platforms as well as within the framework of international organizations, including the UN, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Organization of Turkic States, OSCE, and other institutions.

“Our relations built on historical bonds create opportunities for the development of cooperation between our countries in economy, trade, transport and logistics, and other areas,” the Azerbaijani president told his counterparts, adding that “nearly $20bn dollars have been invested from Azerbaijan to Turkiye’s economy, and some $14bn have been invested by Turkiye into Azerbaijan’s economy”.

Ilham Aliyev did not forget about the relations with the host nation, adding that “this year, the trade turnover with Turkmenistan increased five times, marking record level to date”.

Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Turkmenistan have attained substantial success in the transport and logistics sectors and many projects implemented by them create new opportunities for cooperation in transport connectivity.

Azerbaijan is an active player in the East-West and North-South transport corridors and has implemented all major projects related to railway, highway and air transport in its territory, thus becoming an important transit country.

“Today, we are actively engaged in the opening of the Zangazur corridor. 40 percent of the works on the railway line and 70 percent on the highway have been completed in the section of the Zangazur corridor on the territory of Azerbaijan. All works are expected to be completed in 2024, leading to the establishment of a new transport corridor,” the Azerbaijani leader told the summit, drawing attention to opportunities available for further deepening of cooperation.