ANKARA: Azerbaijan and Turkey have signed a protocol on the creation of the Joint Committee on Customs Issues during the visit of a Turkish delegation to Baku.
The protocol was signed by Aydin Aliyev, the head of the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, and Cenap Asci, Turkish Trade and Customs Minister, who led the delegation.
The protocol includes a number of activities and discussions of issues of interest to both sides.
“The protocol includes the obligations of the customs bodies of the two countries in connection with the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project,” Aliyev said after signing the document. “It is also planned to exchange information on customs checks, cooperation in the field of risk management, and other issues.”
An agreement on the establishment of a joint committee on customs issues between Azerbaijan and Turkey was signed in Ankara in January 2015.
Later, Aliyev told reporters that the reason for the decline in the Azerbaijani-Turkish trade turnover in 2015 was a decline in the world oil prices.
“Turkey has always held leading positions among the foreign trade partners of Azerbaijan,” he said. “However, the trade turnover between our countries slightly decreased this year. This is connected with a decrease in oil prices, exports, and imports on a number of items.”
According to the State Customs Committee, trade turnover between the two countries decreased by 15.8 percent to $954.66 million in January-August 2015. Turkey ranked fourth in total trade turnover volume with Azerbaijan, taking roughly 6.78 percent of total trade volume
On the same day, the Turkish delegation was received by the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Azerbaijani-Turkish relations have always been strong due to a common culture and history and the mutual intelligibility of Turkish and Azerbaijani languages.
Turkey was the first country in the world to recognize Azerbaijan’s independence in 1991 and has been a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan in its efforts to preserve its territorial integrity and realize the economic potential that arises from its rich natural resources in the Caspian Sea.
Considering the current trend in the increase of important projects initiated by the two countries, Azerbaijani-Turkish collaboration is expected to develop in the future.
The economic projects jointly implemented by Azerbaijan and Turkey, particularly in the energy sector, have made a significant contribution to the development of the strategic partnership between the two countries.
