Turkey, Azerbaijan agree on mutual visa exemption

ANKARA

Turkey and Azerbaijan have agreed on a mutual visa exemption for all citizens holding a passport valid for six months, according to a decision released on Turkey’s Official Gazette on June 3. 

With the agreement, citizens of Turkey and Azerbaijan “holding a valid passport shall be exempted from visa requirements for 90 days in order to enter, transit, exit and stay temporarily in the territory” of each country.

The agreement, which was signed on Feb. 25 in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, aims to “strengthen the friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries, aiming to facilitate the travels of citizens of both countries.” 

“Citizens from both countries could visit the other for 30 days. But there were complaints about the time limit. We raised it to 90 days. This deal will encourage the visits from both sides,” said Erkan Özoral, the Turkish ambassador to Baku, in an interview with state-run Anadolu Agency two days after the agreement was signed.