President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by Vice President of the Republic of Turkey Fuat Oktay.

The head of state hailed the successful development of friendly and brotherly relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, saying the bilateral cooperation covers all areas.

President Ilham Aliyev also pointed to the comprehensive development of economic cooperation in accordance with the high-level political ties.

Noting that Azerbaijan-Turkey partnership has further strengthened in recent years, the head of state added that the jointly implemented by the two countries large-scale projects, particularly the ones in energy sector are of crucial regional importance.

President Ilham Aliyev said that the great number of small and medium-sized Turkish enterprises operating in Azerbaijan also contribute to the expansion of economic cooperation, and praised more than 20 percent growth in trade between the two countries which reached more than $3 billion. The head of state expressed his confidence that the Baku-hosted meeting of Intergovernmental Commission would yield fruitful results. He said that the visit of Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay to Azerbaijan will contribute to further strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Vice President Fuat Oktay thanked for the warm words, and first extended Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s greetings to President Ilham Aliyev. He emphasized the role of friendly relations between the two countries’ heads of state in the development of bilateral relations. Vice President Fuat Oktay extended his congratulations on the 101st anniversary of liberation of Baku from the occupation. Noting that the capital city is becoming more beautiful, he expressed his confidence that Azerbaijan will continue moving along the path of development.

Expressing his gratitude for the abolition of visa requirements for Turkish citizens, the vice president said that it would contribute to further expansion of tourism and business relations between the two countries.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay underlined Turkey’s firm and unambiguous position on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, saying that their stance is continuously expressed at all international levels.

The head of state thanked for Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s greetings, and asked the Vice President to extend his greetings to the Turkish President.