Turkey, Azerbaijan sign 7 cooperation agreements

Turkey and Azerbaijan on Wednesday signed seven agreements of cooperation in trade, technology, transportation, and science sectors during an official visit by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Turkey. "We are taking steps in the field of energy that has strategic importance," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a joint press conference with Aliyev in the Turkish capital of Ankara. Erdogan mentioned the ongoing major projects between two countries, including the Trans-Anatolia Pipeline (TANAP) project, which is set to send Azerbaijani natural gas to Turkey. The construction of TANAP project is expected to start in 2014, and will be operated by 2018 with a 16-billion cubic meter capacity. For his part, Aliyev said the implementation of TANAP project would change the energy route of Europe soon, stressing his keenness to boost ties with Turkey in both political and economic terms. He further said that Turkey and Azerbaijan would take measures to lift visa requirements for the businessmen, students and academicians of the two countries.