Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev meets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Tianjin

On 1 September, in Tianjin, China, a meeting took place between the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the press service of the Azerbaijani President reported.

During the talks, satisfaction was expressed with the further expansion of bilateral relations based on brotherhood and strategic alliance, particularly in the energy and transport sectors. The discussion touched on cooperation between SOCAR and Türkiye’s Botaş company, including the importance of delivering Azerbaijani gas to Syria via Türkiye with Qatar’s financial support. The two leaders also reviewed joint energy initiatives in other countries, as well as the significance of the recent groundbreaking of the Kars–Iğdır–Dilucu railway line and railway projects underway in Azerbaijan, including in the Nakhchivan region.

They also discussed the normalisation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, with Türkiye’s stabilising role in regional issues highly valued, and emphasised the importance of the upcoming Organisation of Turkic States Summit to be held in Azerbaijan later this year.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, described as the largest in the organisation’s history, bringing together leaders from more than 20 countries, including China, Russia, India, Iran, Pakistan, Central Asian republics and Middle Eastern states. Chinese President Xi Jinping is chairing the two-day gathering, which is expected to adopt the Tianjin Declaration and approve the group’s development strategy to 2035.

Aliyev’s participation follows his earlier meeting with Xi, during which China expressed support for Azerbaijan’s bid for full SCO membership. His talks with Erdoğan further highlighted the close ties between Baku and Ankara within the broader context of regional diplomacy at the summit.

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