Jeyhun Bayramov takes part in 10th trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey - photo

On June 8, the 10th trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey was held in the city of Istanbul (Turkey). The meeting was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Maka Bochorishvili and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Hakan Fidan.

This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.

It was noted that speaking at the meeting, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov emphasized the special importance of political coordination and mutual cooperation between the countries against the backdrop of growing geopolitical tensions, supply chain difficulties and economic uncertainty in the current international situation. In this regard, it was noted that the trilateral format of cooperation between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey is an important platform for regional stability, security and development.

It was emphasized that the 10th trilateral meeting of the committees on international relations of the parliaments in Baku, the seventh Business Forum in Georgia and the latest trilateral meeting of defense ministers in Ankara demonstrate the comprehensive and diverse nature of the partnership.

The speech noted that cooperation between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey is one of the key driving forces of regional stability and economic development, and the successful implementation of such strategic projects as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, the Southern Gas Corridor and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway demonstrates the effective nature of the partnership.

The minister noted that cooperation in the energy sector is one of the main directions of the trilateral partnership. It was emphasized that Azerbaijan currently exports natural gas to 16 countries, and the extension of the natural gas purchase and sale contract between Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as the agreement reached between SOCAR and BOTAŞ on gas supplies from the second phase of the Absheron field, will make an important contribution to strengthening energy security.

Touching on cooperation in the field of transport and communications, the minister noted the important role of the three countries in the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor). It was emphasized that the completion of the modernization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the resumption of Baku-Tbilisi-Baku passenger train services will make an additional contribution to regional mobility. At the same time, it was noted that the implementation of the TRIPP project and ensuring unimpeded communication between the main part of Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic are an important element of regional cooperation and confidence-building.

The speech drew attention to the fact that there is significant potential for expanding cooperation in the fields of ICT, high technologies, agriculture, water resources management and tourism. The importance of closer coordination in the areas of security, the fight against terrorism, transnational organized crime, cyber threats and climate change was also noted.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov once again expressed his country's support for Turkey during the preparation for the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31).

He emphasized that Azerbaijan is ready to continue cooperation in order to further deepen the trilateral partnership with Turkey and Georgia, ensure sustainable development, security and prosperity of the region.

The speech also touched upon the process of normalizing relations with Armenia. It was noted that Azerbaijan's peace initiatives and confidence-building measures make an important contribution to advancing the normalization agenda. At the same time, the importance of resolving open issues that hinder the full normalization of relations was emphasized in order to turn the existing opportunity into a lasting peace.

The minister noted that the ongoing tensions in the Middle East have a negative impact on regional and global security, and emphasized the importance of resolving conflicts on the basis of the norms and principles of international law, through dialogue and diplomatic means.

At the meeting, the ministers discussed future prospects for the development of trilateral cooperation and other issues of regional security.

Following the trilateral meeting, the ministers signed the Istanbul Declaration.

The ministers then made statements at a press conference and answered questions from the media.