TURKISH, AZERI PRESIDENTS VIEW POLITICAL-ECONOMIC TIES, CYPRUS

Anatolia news agency, Ankara
4 Apr 06

Baku, 4 April: Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer met his Azerbaijani
counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Tuesday [4 April].

Holding a joint news conference with Aliyev, Sezer said: “We have
discussed our political and economic relations. We assessed the steps
which we can take together to solve Upper Karabakh dispute and other
problems in southern Caucasia in peaceful ways. We support solution
of Upper Karabakh issue within the scope of Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity and in line with international legal principles. We are
ready to do our best to settle peace in southern Caucasia.”

Sezer expressed his pleasure over Azerbaijan’s support to lift
isolations over Turkish Cypriots. Sezer invited Aliyev to the ceremony
which will be held for Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline in
Ceyhan. “We also stressed our determination about implementation
of Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE) natural gas pipeline as well as
Baku-Tbilisi-Ahilkelek-Kars railway connection which will make our
countries closer in strategic aspect,” said Sezer.

Aliyev, in his part, said that construction of BTC and BTE
pipelines continue successfully and these projects will bring the
two countries closer. Aliyev expressed appreciation about Turkey’s
support to Azerbaijan regarding Upper Karabakh issue. Noting that
economic relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan are developing
rapidly, Aliyev said that businessmen contribute to this process,
but commercial and economic relations between the two country do not
reflect the real potential.

Following the news conference, Sezer had a meeting with Azerbaijani
Parliament Speaker Oktay Asadov.