Azerbaijan looks forward to expanding ties with Turkey

By Meltem Bulur

ANKARA (AA) - Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Oktay Asadov emphasized the importance of Azerbaijan-Turkey relations in the region.

"It is a very important part of our country's foreign policy to strengthen and expand relations with Azerbaijan's reliable strategic partner Turkey in the present geopolitical conditions," Asadov told Anadolu Agency in a statement on Monday.

Azerbaijan-Turkey relations also have a positive impact on international processes, Asadov said.

Congratulating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his success in last month's elections, Asadov noted that: "Turkey has made great progress under Erdogan's leadership. The implementation of political, economic, social and other projects further strengthens Turkey's position in the international area."

He praised the joint projects undertaken with Turkey, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway project and the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP).

Highlighting the strategic alliance between two countries, Asadov noted that these projects will accelerate the prosperity of both countries.

Additionally, Asadov stressed that the trade volume between the two countries exceeded $5 billion.

Erdogan’s re-election in the June 24 polls marked Turkey's transition to an executive presidential system of government, doing away with the prime minister's post, among other changes.

Erdogan won an absolute majority in the presidential election with 52.5 percent of the vote, according to Turkey’s Supreme Election Council (YSK).

On Monday, Erdogan took the presidential oath of office to become the Republic of Turkey's first president under its new governmental system.