Turkey, Azerbaijani Ministers To Hold Joint Session

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (left) and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (file photo)

Turkish and Azerbaijani cabinet ministers are scheduled to hold a joint meeting in Izmir, Turkey, today.

The first meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council established last year will be chaired by Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev.

Erdogan and Aliyev will be accompanied by their economy, transportation, energy, and foreign ministers for the two-day talks, which are expected to focus on boosting economic relations between the close allies.

Turkish media reports said Erdogan and Aliyev are also due to attend a ceremony to break ground at an Aegean oil refinery that is expected to be completed in 2015.

The refinery, which is to be built by state-owned Azerbaijani oil company SOCAR and its Turkish partner, Turcas, will cost $5 billion.

Azerbaijan will have a 75 percent share in the new refinery.

compiled from agency reports