Azerbaijan is urging members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) to turn transport expansion into a trade and investment platform, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said at the group's Ankara summit, Anadolu Agency reported.
At the OTS' 13th summit on Oct. 30, Bayramov presented the Middle Corridor and stronger transport connections between member states as ways to increase the group's economic potential. He said the routes should support trade among members, industrial cooperation and investment, giving regional transport a role beyond moving cargo across borders.
The states' geography and energy resources could give them a larger role in international commerce and energy security, Bayramov said. He also cited progress in cooperation on energy, digital connectivity and emerging technologies, and credited Azerbaijan with helping connect Central Asia and Europe through renewable energy and digital infrastructure.
He said the OTS+ format could widen the group's engagement with countries outside its membership and with international organizations. Bayramov called for continued efforts to secure OTS observer status at the United Nations General Assembly.
Anadolu Agency reported that Türkiye took over the OTS chairmanship from Azerbaijan at the summit. Azerbaijan began its term at the organization's 12th summit in Gabala last year. In reviewing that period, Bayramov said regional peace and security had been priorities.
Bayramov said Azerbaijan's restoration of territorial integrity and sovereignty had ended the South Caucasus' long-running conflict, and described normalization with Armenia as underway. He called on Armenia to take political and legal steps toward a peace treaty. Bayramov also said Baku was committed to lasting peace and a shift from conflict to cooperation.
Before the gathering, EconoTimes previewed the Ankara summit as a forum for discussions on trade, transport and energy.
