Baku, Ankara, Tbilisi express commitment to bolster cooperation

/By AzerNeüs/

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia enjoy the friendly and fruitful relations and now the three neighbor countries intend to further strengthen their cooperation in various fields.

The foreign ministers of the three countries sat for talks in Turkey’s northeastern province of Kars on December 10 to discuss regional cooperation and to review decisions taken at previous meetings, Turkish media reported.

Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia-Elmar Mammadyarov, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Tamar Beruchashvili signed an agreement on cooperation of the countries at a tripartite meeting in Kars.

During the meeting, along with the political issues, economy and energy were also discussed.

The sides highlighted the role of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP) and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway projects, saying they will strengthen cooperation, peace and security in the region.

They also emphasized the contribution of the tripartite meetings of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey to cooperation, stability and prosperity in the region and exchanged views on developments in the region and the world.

“We evaluated the regional and international developments. We realized that we have similar views. We emphasized the importance of a peaceful solution for the regional conflicts on the basis of territorial integrity,” Cavusoglu said speaking at a joint press conference following the trilateral meeting.

He stressed that Turkey supports respect for Azerbaijan and Georgia’s territorial integrities, adding that he hopes Armenia will join the cooperation.

Cavusoglu urged Armenia to make sincere steps to resolve the problems with its neighbors.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by U.S, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

Turkey cut diplomatic ties and closed its border with Armenia after the country invaded Azerbaijan's territories. Ankara set Armenia's withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh and 7 surrounding regions of Azerbaijan as a precondition for establishing diplomatic relations with the country.

Noting that problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia have yet to be resolved, Mammadyarov said the international agreements should be the basis for a solution to the conflict.

Georgian Foreign Minister Beruchashvili, for her part, said the trilateral meeting is vital to counter regional threats.

She also said the agreement signed between Russia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia infringes Georgia's territorial rights. "International security can be ensured through complying with provisions of international law," Beruchashvili added.

Russia and the self-proclaimed independent area in Georgia signed a strategic alliance agreement on Nov. 24, which includes a controversial collective defense pact. Abkhazia declared its independence from Georgia in 1999, with Russia formally recognizing it in 2008, following a six-day Russian-Georgian war over the South Ossetia.

Last time, the Azerbaijani, Georgian and Turkish foreign ministers gathered for third trilateral ministerial meeting in the Azerbaijani city of Ganja on February 19. Before, they have met for such a meeting on March 28, 2013 in Georgia’s Batumi city.

The basis of the ministerial meetings was laid on June 8, 2012 in the Turkish city of Trabzon, with signing of Trabzon declaration by the foreign ministers of the three countries.

The Declaration reflects the most important directions of mutual cooperation of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey in areas such as the economy, energy, infrastructure, transport, culture and humanitarian sphere.

The ministers of the three countries adopted an action plan for cooperation for 2013-2015 in Batumi. The plan developed by the relevant departments includes specific projects and initiatives. The plan covers areas such as the economy, energy, environment, culture, education, sports and youth.