Azerbaijan, Turkey eye air navigation dev't, draft airspace strategy

By Azernews

Azerbaijani and Turkish delegations discussed the implementation of the draft strategy for the use of airspace and the development of air navigation in the region on April 12 in Ankara.

The meeting was held between the delegation of Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC and the General Directorate of State Airports Authority of Turkey (DHMI) led by Mr. Farhan Guliyev, Director of Azeraeronavigation Air Traffic Department (AZANS), and Mr. Huseyin Keskin, General Director of DHMI.

During the meeting, it was noted that this strategy will allow countries to jointly implement international requirements in the field of air navigation services and efficient use of airspace.

This cooperation is a clear example of the mutual support of the two fraternal states in the field of ensuring flight safety, improving the quality of air navigation services and ensuring the regularity of air transportation.

Turkey is a strategic partner of Azerbaijan, including in the field of civil aviation. The airspace of Azerbaijan and Turkey plays an important role in the large-scale air transportation chain linking Europe and Asia. This air corridor is also a continuation of the global transport project known as “One Belt, One Road”.

Over the past decade, the role of Azerbaijan as a transit state with developed ground and air transport has increased significantly. All this became possible and achievable thanks to President Ilham Aliyev's support and wise policy.

Another clear evidence of the significance and importance of the development of air transport and air traffic between the two fraternal countries was the opening of the International Airport in Fuzuli with the participation of the Azerbaijani and Turkish presidents.

In 2018, thanks to the well-coordinated work of AZANS, DHMI and ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), a new air corridor was opened, which today operates between the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR) and Turkey. This route established direct air communication between the two countries, without using the airspace of neighboring states.

The opening of a new air corridor with Turkey has become a significant contribution to the performance of new international flights and the expansion of air communications with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

On June 15, 2021, the two countries signed a memorandum of alliance that cemented the existing military, political and economic cooperation.

Relations between the fraternal countries are developing in various areas. The Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations that President Ilham Aliyev and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed during the first official visit to Shusha eight months after Azerbaijan’s victory in the war with Armenia, also focuses on defence cooperation.

It affirms joint efforts by the two armies in the face of foreign threats. The declaration also pledges joint efforts for the restructuring and modernization of the armed forces. Moreover, the two nations affirm to encourage the execution of joint projects with the aim of developing capabilities in the field of sea, air, and space.

In an interview with Turkey's Anadolu Agency, President Ilham Aliyev said that the signing of the Shusha Declaration raised bilateral relations to an even higher level.