The visit is expected to include private and committee meetings with Foreign Minister Davutoğlu as well as meetings with President Abdullah Gül, Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Şahin and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “Along with discussing bilateral relations with the Azerbaijani foreign minister, the talks will also cover regional problems that concern both nations particularly including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” the statement read.
Although Azerbaijani-Turkish relations have been strained over the protocols signed between Armenia and Turkey on Oct. 10 to normalize relations and establish diplomatic ties, the Foreign Ministries of both countries recently announced that they would annul visa requirements between the two countries. The Turkish-Armenian protocols included a provision that would open the border between the two countries within two months once the protocols are ratified, which angered Azerbaijan. Erdoğan’s remarks following his White House meeting with US President Barack Obama on Dec. 7 affirming that the border will be kept closed until there is a breakthrough in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been largely welcomed among the Azerbaijani public and government.
The statement also said the Azerbaijani foreign minister’s visit will also create an opportunity to display the political will to strengthen solidarity and mutual understanding between the two countries. Davutoğlu met with his Azerbaijani counterpart on Oct. 24 this year in Baku to alleviate tensions surrounding Turkish-Armenian relations and mitigate the so-called flag crisis.
