Baku: Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey in the energy sector is of great importance not only for the two countries but also for the broader region and Europe's energy security, Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said in his speech on the outcomes of the 5th Azerbaijan-Turkey Energy Forum, APA-Economics reports.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the minister noted that Turkey's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, visited Baku with a large delegation broadly representing Turkey's energy sector to participate in the forum.

Parviz Shahbazov emphasized that as a result of the political will of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, relations between the two countries have strengthened further in recent years. With the signing of the Shusha Declaration, these relations have acquired the character of a strategic alliance.

He highlighted that energy cooperation was also identified in the Shusha Declaration as one of the important areas of Azerbaijan-Turkey relations, and cooperation in this field will continue.

The minister stressed that major energy projects such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, TANAP, and STAR serve not only the interests of Azerbaijan and Turkey but also those of the broader region, as well as participants in the global energy market.

Parviz Shahbazov stated, 'Energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey, particularly energy supplies carried out via Turkey, makes a major contribution to the energy security of the European Union.'

He also noted that Azerbaijan's energy resources are delivered to global markets via Turkey, covering both oil and natural gas supplies.

According to Parviz Shahbazov, Azerbaijan has supplied natural gas to 16 countries in recent years. The minister added that these figures demonstrate the expanding scale of Azerbaijan-Turkey energy cooperation and the growing role of the two countries in regional and global energy security.