Aliyev says economic and political cooperation must be improved among Turkish-speaking countries

Speaking at the 8th Summit of Heads of State & Government of Turkish-Speaking Countries in the southern Turkish city of Antalya, Aliyev remembered that Turkey was the first country recognizing independence of Azerbaijan.

"Economy of Azerbaijan develops rapidly. We have left economic difficulties behind. Other Turkish-speaking states also overcame the difficulties," Aliyev added.

"World is changing. The incidents occurring in our region require new relationships and cooperation," he recalled.

"Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline is a historic step. This will serve economic development of the region. Inclusion of Kazakhstan to this cooperation brings a new dynamism. Completion of Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipeline means shipment of Azerbaijani gas to Turkey and Europe," Aliyev said.

Emphasizing that countries of the Caspian region have very rich natural resources, Aliyev said, "these resources bring financial prosperity to the region. The cooperation which was considered as a dream before, is now realized."

Stating that there were problems that create uneasiness in Azerbaijan, Aliyev said, "ongoing Armenian occupation on Azerbaijan`s territory is the biggest problem of our country. This is also a problem of the region. We favor resolution of the problem through peaceful means. The problem must be solved in line with the principles of the U.N.. European Organizations do not have any effect on Armenia. Azerbaijan lost 20 percent of its territory in the ethnic cleansing. More than 1 million people were made refugee in their own country." Turkish Press