Turkish Foreign Minister hails high-level relations with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan

“Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan enjoy high-level relations. Steps taken to enhance cooperation in transport and logistics are of particular significance. This is one of the primary objectives of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) until 2040,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani and Uzbek counterparts.

Fidan stated that today’s meeting focused on infrastructure projects and joint initiatives related to the Middle Corridor.

Highlighting that the largest trade volume in the world occurs between Asia and Europe, he noted: “Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan are at the heart of this route.”

The Turkish FM emphasized that global supply chains have been disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and recent developments in the Middle East.

“We discussed customs practices and the harmonization of regulations. We also evaluated steps to expand the use of electronic services,” he added.

Addressing broader cooperation among Turkic states, Fidan noted that two major OTS summits are planned this year—an informal leaders’ meeting in Hungary and the 12th OTS Summit in Azerbaijan.

On global issues, Fidan stated: “We advocate for Afghanistan not to be isolated and for the country to live in peace with its neighbors. We emphasize our support for an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders, as a permanent solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.”

Regarding Syria, he said the goal is to see a sovereign, terrorism-free, stable, and prosperous Syria.

Concluding his remarks, Fidan announced that the next Türkiye-Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan trilateral meeting will be held in Azerbaijan.