Azerbaijani top diplomat due in Ankara for Caucasus peace talks

ANKARA

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov will pay a one-day visit to Ankara on Aug. 27 to discuss regional matters, particularly ongoing normalization efforts between Türkiye and Armenia and Azerbaijan and Armenia, with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.

According to the diplomatic sources, the two ministers will raise bilateral issues including economic and trade cooperation as well as energy, transportation and other relevant areas.

Türkiye and Azerbaijan enjoy substantial economic cooperation through trade and investments. The bilateral trade was registered as $7.6 billion in 2023 with efforts to double it.

In addition, about 5,500 Turkish companies operate in Azerbaijan with a total investment of $17.5 billion. In return, some 2,600 Azerbaijani companies execute business in Türkiye with around $19.5 billion worth of investment.

The two ministers will also discuss regional issues, sources said. On the top of the agenda are the ongoing normalization efforts between three Caucasus countries, namely Türkiye, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have launched talks for a permanent peace agreement after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war where the former could liberate its lands from the 30-year-long occupation of Yerevan. There are calls on both sides to finalize the negotiations and sign a treaty without delay.

Türkiye and Armenia are also in talks for the establishment of diplomatic relations and opening the sealed border. Ankara says it will act simultaneously with Azerbaijan in normalizing ties with Armenia.

Turkish and Armenian special envoys have recently met on the border as part of normalization efforts. They announced that they will start technical works for the resumption of the functions of a railroad between the two countries.

Fidan and Bayramov will also discuss other regional matters including Israel’s attacks against Gaza and efforts for ceasefire.