Türkiye-Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan summit to strengthen ties

Energy, transportation, trade, economics as well as regional and global matters will be discussed during the Türkiye-Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan trilateral summit, Türkiye’s president has said. 

"We will also sign various agreements," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, speaking at a press conference at Ankara's Esenboga Airport before heading to Turkmenistan to attend the first summit between the leaders of Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.

"Our goal is not only for the people of the three nations; it is to establish a more prosperous and secure future for the brotherly Turkic nations and the region," he continued. 

Erdogan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Turkmenistan's Serdar Berdimuhamedov will meet in the western Turkmen city of Awaza to address steps to further deepen the cooperation between the three countries in all areas, particularly in trade, energy, and transportation.

At the summit, the leaders will sign several agreements which aim to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

Erdogan also will hold talks on the sidelines of the summit.

Earlier in the day, Türkiye's top diplomat said that the planned leaders' summit would herald concrete action in various fields between the three nations.

"Our common cultural heritage, language, religion, and history bind us together. We strengthen our relations in the Turkic world not only via the Organization of Turkic States but also via the bilateral, triple, and quadruple mechanisms," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a preparatory meeting ahead of the summit.

Noting that the energy and transportation ministers of the three countries were also holding separate meetings, Cavusoglu said the ministerial contacts and leaders summit would yield "concrete steps in the fields of trade, energy, transportation, economy, customs, education, science and culture".

He pledged on behalf of Türkiye to "continue our efforts to facilitate the circulation of goods, services and workforce" with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.

Thus, he added, they would make "significant contributions to regional prosperity and security."

The leaders of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan are scheduled to meet to address steps on further deepening cooperation, particularly in trade, energy, and transportation, according to the Turkish presidential office. 

Cavusoglu also held a bilateral meeting with his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov on the preparatory meeting's sidelines, according to his Twitter post.

"We reviewed the steps to further our cooperation in the fields of transportation, energy and defence industry," he said.

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