President Ilham Aliyev receives participants of meeting of heads of government of OTS member states
On April 2, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Vice President of the Republic of Türkiye Cevdet Yılmaz, Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Adylbek Kasymaliev, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Nokerguly Atagulyyev, Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ünal Üstel, and Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Kubanychbek Omuraliev.
The head of state addressed the meeting.
Speech by President Ilham Aliyev
- The meeting of the heads of government of the member states of the Organization of Turkic States is being held in Baku this time. I sincerely greet and welcome you.
I am confident that this meeting will be very beneficial. As always, our countries will demonstrate unity and solidarity. At the same time, this meeting is of great importance for discussing the key economic issues before us.
Overall, Azerbaijan has made and will continue to make a significant contribution to the development of the Organization of Turkic States. This is one of the priority areas of our foreign policy. We have repeatedly stated from various platforms that the Turkic world is our family, and we have no other family. Of course, making joint efforts to carry this family into the future is extremely important.
In our foreign policy, relations with the member states of the Organization of Turkic States are a priority. Our historical, cultural, and ethnic roots form a strong foundation for these relations. Today, as independent states, we speak from a unified position in all international organizations and support one another. We stand by each other in good times and in difficult times.
Naturally, further steps will be taken for the future development of our organization. Today, the Organization of Turkic States has gained great prestige on the global stage, and our international positions are strengthening. Our ability to influence processes in the region is increasing, and the role of our organization globally is growing. We must strengthen our positions through joint efforts. Our organization must take its place among the world"s leading international organizations. This depends on us. The more effort we make, the more unity we demonstrate, the more important projects we implement, and the more opportunities we create for our partners, the greater our international influence, positions, and capabilities will be.
There are many international organizations in the world, but the number of organizations established on the basis of ethnic roots is not very high. This is our great advantage. What unites us is our ethnic affiliation - this is the primary factor. After that come our geography, the very warm and friendly relations between our countries, and our common goals. Taking all these factors into account, we must elevate our organization to an even higher level. Summits are, of course, of great importance for the development of our organization. These meetings are held regularly. As you know, at Azerbaijan"s initiative, informal meetings of the heads of state have also begun. The first such informal summit was held in Shusha, Garabagh. This has already become a tradition, and I believe it is a very positive development. The heads of state now meet at least twice a year. There are many issues to discuss, and global processes are evolving rapidly, requiring constant consultation, the exchange of views, and coordinated steps to ensure the right decisions are made.
In the economic sphere - which will be the main focus of your meeting today - progress is evident. Azerbaijan"s trade turnover with all member countries is increasing, and the volume of mutual investments is growing. We have invested more than $20 billion in the economies of the member states. Of course, the main part of this is investment in Türkiye. However, mutual investment with other member countries is also expanding. We have established joint investment funds with Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and through these funds, many projects are already being implemented or are in preparation.
I would like to express special gratitude for the support of brotherly countries in the restoration of Garabagh. Your support for both reconstruction efforts and the establishment of new enterprises in Garabagh is of great importance to us. As you know, the Mirzo Ulugbek School, gifted by Uzbekistan, is already operating. The Kurmangazy Childrenchr("39")s Creativity Center, a gift from Kazakhstan, is also operating. The Manas School, a gift from Kyrgyzstan, is functioning as well. These facilities are located in the Fuzuli and Aghdam districts. Many Turkish companies are involved in key infrastructure projects - roads, bridges, tunnels, and railways. At the same time, job creation in Garabagh is very important for us, and the first foreign investments are coming from brotherly countries. With the support of Uzbekistan, a large sewing factory has begun operating in Khankendi, which we inaugurated together with esteemed President Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev. All of this once again shows that in the most important issue for us - the restoration of Garabagh and East Zangezur - brotherly countries stand by our side. In turn, we are always ready to provide the necessary support, and we are doing so. After the devastating earthquake in Türkiye, Azerbaijan demonstrated its fraternal solidarity, and with Azerbaijan"s financial support, the Azerbaijan Quarter, worth $100 million, was built in Kahramanmaraş. Together with esteemed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we inaugurated this quarter.
These actions are both practical assistance and a clear demonstration of our intentions. They also show our peoples that we must always stand by each other, and they demonstrate to the world that the Turkic world and the Organization of Turkic States spare no effort to achieve common goals - both in good times and in difficult times.
Of course, along with economic issues and investments, one of our main tasks today is to expand transport, logistics, and transit capabilities. In principle, there is always a need for this. The Middle Corridor passing through our countries serves the interests of all of us. Especially in the current geopolitical environment, projects such as the Middle Corridor, the Trans-Caspian Corridor, and the Zangezur Corridor are becoming increasingly important. I believe the Azerbaijani side will provide information on this issue today. A large portion of the work on the territory of Azerbaijan has already been completed. Our railways, the Baku Trade Port, highways, and airports - all transport infrastructure has been brought to full readiness. Regarding the Zangezur Corridor, approximately 90 percent of the highway and about 70 percent of the railway have been completed. I hope that this project will be fully implemented in the near future. We are also pleased that construction of the Kars-Nakhchivan railway has begun in Türkiye. The coordinated and synchronized implementation of these projects will open a new international corridor - a branch of the Middle Corridor. The railway infrastructure we have built is designed to transport 15 million tons of cargo at the initial stage, with potential for further increase. In any case, the opening of a new corridor with a capacity of 15 million tons is of great importance not only for our countries but also for the wider region. Here too, we are pursuing a very serious and responsible approach - protecting our national interests while offering new transport routes to the world. This once again demonstrates that the purpose of our countries and our organization is peace, cooperation, stability, mutual respect, and mutual benefit. I wanted to share these thoughts with you. I know you have a busy agenda today and many important issues to discuss. I am confident that your meeting will make another valuable contribution to the development of our organization. Once again, I welcome you.