ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday hailed the Middle Corridor as the most reliable, swift, and cost-effective trade route connecting Asia and Europe.

"The most reliable, fastest, and economical route between Asia and Europe is the Central Asia-Caspian Sea-South Caucasus-Türkiye corridor," Fidan said in a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani and Uzbek counterparts.

Fidan noted that supply chains in the world have been disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and the recent developments in the Middle East.

Underlining that the largest trade volume in the world takes place between Asia and Europe, Fidan said: “Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan are at the heart of this route.”

The press conference was held following the second trilateral meeting of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan’s ministries of foreign affairs, transport, and trade.

Fidan said that today’s meeting focused on infrastructure projects and joint activities related to the Middle Corridor.

“We discussed customs practices and the harmonization of regulations. We also evaluated steps to expand the use of electronic services,” he said.

“Additionally, we discussed steps to gradually remove barriers to trade,” Fidan added.

Ankara Declaration signed

Fidan also announced that the Ankara Declaration was signed at the end of the trilateral meeting.

Fidan underlined that the declaration recorded steps to be taken in the areas of trade, investment, logistics, and transit transportation, and that a decision was made to accelerate infrastructure projects.

Fidan said that there was an agreement to encourage investments in priority sectors, adding that an action plan, along with a roadmap for future steps, was outlined in the annex to the declaration.

Global developments were also discussed during the meeting, said Fidan.

“As the Turkic world, we support a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. We advocate for Afghanistan not to be isolated and for this country to live in peace with its neighbors,” Fidan said.

“We emphasize our support for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders, for a permanent solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict,” Fidan said.

He pointed out that the situation in Syria was also discussed during the meeting, saying that the goal is to see a Syria that has fully established its sovereignty, is free from terrorism, and has achieved stability and prosperity.