The second meeting of the trilateral mechanism between Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan—in the format of foreign ministers—was held Wednesday in Ankara, the Turkish capital.

After the meeting, a press conference was held, in which a number of noteworthy statements were made.

Azerbaijani foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov stated that "the liberation of Azerbaijani territories from occupation [i.e. the Azerbaijani occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh] creates new opportunities for economic cooperation in a broader geography."

Bayramov noted that it is through this region that the new artery of the Middle East-West corridor is being laid, and its great prospects are obvious.

Also, the Azerbaijani FM highlighted the completion of the work on signing a peace treaty with Armenia, noting that “territorial claims and revanchist tendencies that remain in the constitution of Armenia and other legal acts on Azerbaijan are of concern.”

Bayramov added that a number of projects will be implemented on the basis of the adopted roadmap in the transport sector between Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan.

The Azerbaijani FM’s aforesaid statements are directly related to Tuesday’s statements by the president of his country. President Ilham Aliyev has demanded a non-overseen corridor through the territory of Armenia.

Bayramov’s words about the “new artery” reflect the results of the aforesaid trilateral meeting. Also, its participants adopted a declaration, the points of which—among other things—provide for “joint measures against attempts to undermine sovereignty and territorial integrity,” “increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of the Middle Corridor,” and “support for reconstruction and demining work in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan—in the Karabakh and East Zangezur regions.”