Turkey to back Azerbaijan for agricultural development

By Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AA) - Turkey is ready to provide all kind of support for Azerbaijan to help the agricultural development of regions freed from Armenia's occupation, Turkey's agriculture and forestry minister said on Wednesday.

Azerbaijan's military victory should be crowned with an economic triumph, Bekir Pakdemirli said during his official visit to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

Stressing the importance of Karabakh region's post-war restoration and development, Pakdemirli said Turkey will help the training of farmers in the field of irrigation and forestry.

"In war and in peace, Turkey always stands by its brother Azerbaijan," he promised.

Late last year, Azerbaijan liberated several strategic cities and nearly 300 of its settlements and villages from Armenian occupation during a six-week Karabakh war.

Prior to this victory, about 20% of Azerbaijan's territory had been under illegal occupation of Armenia for nearly three decades.