Foreign ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran to talk 'Silk Road'

ANKARA

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım on March 14 said the foreign ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Iran will meet in Baku to evaluate regional developments and discuss “regional cooperation.”

“The foreign ministers of these four countries will have the opportunity to discuss and revive the historic Silk Road,” said Yıldırım, speaking Ankara's Esenboğa Airport ahead of his visit to the Azerbaijani capital to attend the 6th Global Baku Forum.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif are expected to meet.

Known as “One Belt One Road,” plans to revive Silk Road would see gleaming new road and rail networks built through China, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia, extending to Europe via Turkey.

Meanwhile, Yıldırım met Azerbaijani counterpart Artur Rasizade as well as Azerbaijan’s President İlham Aliyev and Parliament Speaker Oktay Asadov.

Following a 45-minute meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Yıldırım met Parliament Speaker Oktay Asadov at the National Parliament.

Stating that relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan are developing further, Yıldırım said the growing ties between the two countries were reviewed during his meeting with Aliyev.

“Considering the coming years, a strong Turkey and a strong Azerbaijan will be the assurance for the region,” Yıldırım said during his meeting with Asadov.

He particularly highlighted the significance of the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project as well as Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway project, which operates between Turkey and Azerbaijan.