Erdoğan hails Turkey’s joint TANAP project with Azerbaijan

Newly sworn-in President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday during his first official overseas trip after taking an oath of office to become the Republic of Turkey's first executive president under its new governmental system.

"TANAP is a vital project for both us and Azerbaijan. It also carries importance in that it is a strategic investment," said Erdoğan.

TANAP, which went live in June, is a natural gas pipeline stretching from the Turkish-Georgian border to the Turkish-Greek border to supply natural gas to both Turkey and also European countries.

The 1,850-kilometer pipeline is the largest section of the 3,500-kilometer Southern Gas Corridor, which was inaugurated on May 29 in Baku.

Erdoğan said the project has great importance in terms of making a connection between Azerbaijan and Europe, besides the connection between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

The president emphasized that Turkish-Azeri relations are strengthened on the basis of “one nation, two states,” referring to the Turkic roots of both.

Highlighting the strategic alliance between the two countries, Erdoğan noted that these projects will accelerate the prosperity of both countries.

Erdoğan’s trip to Azerbaijan is his first state visit since Monday’s inauguration to a second term, under Turkey’s new presidential system of government, continuing the tradition of Turkey’s leaders first visiting Azerbaijan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) after taking office.

Erdoğan also highlighted Azerbaijan’s support for Turkey against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).

The Turkish president thanked Aliyev for his “support in the fight against FETÖ.”

FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured. FETÖ is also behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.