Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran pledge to strengthen peace, stability in region

BAKU, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran pledged to strengthen peace, stability, prosperity and cooperation in the region, said the Baku Statement of the three countries on Wednesday.

The statement was adopted following the fifth trilateral meeting of Azerbaijani, Iranian and Turkish Foreign Ministers, Elmar Mammadyarov, Mohammad Javad Zarif and Mevlut Cavusoglu.

They reaffirmed their commitment to further enhancing solidarity and cooperation based on deep-rooted historical, religious & cultural commonalities and shared values.

The ministers underlined their commitment to further expanding cooperation to promote economic progress and sustainable development. The parties also agreed to continue close consultations on regional and global issues of common interest at different levels and platforms.

They also agreed to implement joint projects and programs in the fields of energy, transportation, banking, telecommunication, industry, agriculture, tourism and environment, with a focus on new projects for the development of transport and transit potential in the region.

They welcomed the launching of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway link project which directly connected the three countries, stating that the project creates favorable conditions to increase the transit potential on various routes.

As for the relations among the banking networks, all parties agreed to share their experience and information on international banking procedures while combating money-laundering and the financing of terrorism. [ The ministers also stressed the importance of increased cooperation to fight against terrorism, separatism and violent extremism as well as other forms of crimes.

The next trilateral meeting will be held in Turkey. Enditem