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Turkish prime minister to make official visit to Azerbaijan

This is Davutoglu's first official visit to Azerbaijan after the formation of the new cabinet in Turkey

Ahmet Davutoglu EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET

Ahmet Davutoglu

© EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET

BAKU, December 3. /TASS/. Bilateral cooperation and regional problems will be the focal points of the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's official visit to Azerbaijan and talks with President Ilham Aliev and Prime Minister Artur Rasi-zade.

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Diplomatic sources in Baku say Aliev and Davutoglu will make a statement for the media upon the end of their talks.

The two sides do not plan signing any bilateral documents.

There are no official comments on the visit. Since this is Davutoglu's first official visit to Azerbaijan after the formation of the new cabinet in Turkey, the sides are likely to review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations. It is not ruled out that the two sides will consider the implementation of joint energy resource transportation projects including the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) for supplies of Azerbaijani gas to Turkey and to Europe and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK).

The latter railway was to be commissioned before the end of this year but its official commissioning was rescheduled to 2016 because of delays in construction works at the Turkish section of the line.

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Experts say the outbreak of tensions between Russia and Turkey may also be one of the issues the Davutoglu and his Azerbaijani hosts will take up. In part, it is not ruled out he will raise a possibility of a favorable status of the Turkish transit trucks on the territory of Azerbaijan in connection with the sanctions imposed by Moscow.

In the meantime, Azerbaijan's Council for Transit Cargoes Transportation has already cut down the transit fees for large-tonnage trucks heading from Azerbaijan to the Caspian ports of Aktau (Kazakstan) and Turkmenbasi (Turkmenistan). Besides, the Azerbaijani Caspian Shipping Line has reduced to 20% the fees for sea haulage between Baku and Aktau.

One more problem the sides may discuss is the settlement of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

On December 4, Davutoglu is expected to address the teachers and students of Baku's ADA university.

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