"Contributing to the prosperity and welfare in the Eurasian region is one of our priorities in our foreign policy," Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Monday as he and his Azerbaijani counterpart praised the strong relations between the two states as they celebrate 30 years of diplomatic ties.
"The level of our relations with friendly Azerbaijan is exemplary," said Çavuşoğlu during a reception held in the Turkish capital Ankara for the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry hosted the reception marking "the 30th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of Turkey and Friendly and Brotherly Countries."
The reception was attended by Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov as well as many ambassadors as guests of honor.
Citing Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's upcoming visit to Ankara on Wednesday, Çavuşoğlu also said: "To make sure that our European friends are less affected by the energy crisis, we are showing our utmost effort. Our dear, friendly and brotherly country Azerbaijan is also undertaking a huge responsibility in that regard."
"In the upcoming days and weeks, we will convene trilateral meetings with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to tackle those issues regarding energy and logistics," he added.
The Trans-Caspian East-West Middle Corridor Initiative is of strategic importance, Çavuşoğlu said, noting that the foreign and transportation ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan will meet in the Azerbaijani capital Baku on June 27.
Bayramov congratulated his Turkish counterpart on changing the name of the country to "Türkiye" in the international arena, noting that the name reflects the "most beautiful expression of the Turkish civilization, culture and values."
He recalled that Turkey was the first state ever to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan, which was restored in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Azerbaijan's top diplomat underlined that the current level of relations between Baku and Ankara is based on the "will of people and the brotherly ties" between the two states.
"The alliance between Azerbaijan and Turkey has great political and economic potential and serves for further strengthening of peace and development in the region," he said.
Speaking on the political and moral support of Turkey to Azerbaijan during the 2020 Karabakh war, Bayramov thanked Turkey for its "rightful" support during the 44-day conflict.
Turkey was a key backer of Azerbaijan during the Karabakh war, which erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, and ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire on Nov. 10 the same year.
Relations between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military illegally occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
The 44-day conflict saw Azerbaijan liberate several cities and over 300 settlements and villages that had been occupied by Armenia for almost three decades.
Since then, Ankara has made frequent calls for a six-nation platform comprising of Turkey, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia for permanent peace, stability and cooperation in the region, saying it would be a win-win initiative for all regional actors in the Caucasus.
Turkey believes that permanent peace is possible through mutual security-based cooperation among the states and people of the South Caucasus region.
"The cooperation and decisions of the Organization of Turkic States serve for the development and progress of the wider region," Bayramov also stressed.
On Nov. 12, 2021, the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States – the Turkic Council – renamed itself the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) at its 8th summit in Istanbul.
The organization consists of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan as the member countries, with Hungary and Turkmenistan as observers.
