Category: Southern Caucasus

Number of Azerbaijani citizens visiting Istanbul grows

Number of tourists who visited the Turkish megalopolis increased by 15%.

In the first seven months of 2011, Turkey’s Istanbul saw over 84,600 Azerbaijani tournaments which is twice as high as last year’s indicators of the same period.

According to Turkish mass media, in the said period the number of tourists who visited the Turkish megalopolis increased by 15% to settle at 4,670,000.

Istanbul attracts tourists with its historical and cultural values.

In the past years, the number of tourists, who prefer Turkey, is gradually growing thanks to the steps taken by the Turkish government. Today the country is seventh by the number of tourists and eighth by the profitability of the tourism sector.

According to TurkStat, in 2010 foreign tourists brought $25bn. By the end of the year the tourism sector will bring at least $30bn to Turkey.

via News.Az – Number of Azerbaijani citizens visiting Istanbul grows.

August 9, 2011
Yusuf Halacoglu: Turkey and Azerbaijan come closer as Sargsyan admits occupation

“The recent processes show how wrong Turkey’s policy of rapprochement with Armenia was”

Istanbul. Mayis Alizadeh – APA. “Encouraged by some actions of the separatists in Turkey, Armenia has recently made senseless statements. But one must not forget that Turkey is not a weak country that will give way to the separatists and senseless Armenian claims,” former head of Turkish Historical Society, parliamentarian from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), professor Yusuf Halacoglu told APA’s Turkey bureau.

He said Armenia does not know what to do.

“The US does not support Armenia concerning “genocide” any more, because the US needs Turkey more in order to solve the problems in the Middle East. Therefore, Armenia’s “Agri Dagh illusions” are meaningless. These processes show how wrong Turkey’s policy of rapprochement with Armenia was. Actually, these processes strengthen the relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan. Maybe it is for the better. So, let them make senseless statements. One of the major issues is that Azerbaijan should benefit from this situation. Azerbaijan should complete the development of its economy. You know that economic power of a country means its political power. In this respect, Azerbaijan, which is strengthening its economy, is on the right way. Every country, which is in danger of economic collapse, sooner or later feels the need for its neighbors. For example Greece, they sell islands. Armenia will be in worse condition. Armenia has problems with all of its neighbors with which it could establish economic relations – with the exception of Iran. There is a need to establish new joint organizations. Enhancement of the relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan is of great importance in this respect,” he said.

via APA – Yusuf Halacoglu: Turkey and Azerbaijan come closer as Sargsyan admits occupation.

August 3, 2011
Turkey uses fight against trafficking for political goals

YEREVAN. – Turkey tries to bring the issue of fight against trafficking into politics, head of Armenian police department for fight against trafficking Tigran Petrosyan told at a press conference on Friday.

Turkey is a problematic state concerning the issue of possible cooperation between Turkey and Armenia on fight against trafficking, as there is no diplomatic relations with Turkey. The Interpol provides the only way to communicate between Armenian and Turkish law enforcement agencies.

At present negotiations are run on transferring an Armenian citizen to Armenia through Georgian side. He is wanted for organizing trafficking.

At the same time Turkish media spreads information that mostly does not correspond to reality. For example they say that Armenian women who are either victims of trafficking or intended prostitution were arrested. However, later, after Armenian side checks the information, it turns out that although people mentioned in publications arrived in Turkey indeed, they appeared in police not because they had something in common with trafficking or prostitution.

via Turkey uses fight against trafficking for political goals – Armenian police | Armenia News – NEWS.am.

July 23, 2011
Armenia Ready, Target 2015

Turkish foreign policy recently intensified its attention on the Arab Spring, carrying out extensive diplomatic efforts to secure an immediate resolution for the turmoil in the region. (more…)

July 21, 2011
Azerbaijan’s bank opens a representative office in Istanbul and announces office opening in Moscow and Dubai

Azerbaijan’s bank opens a representative office in Istanbul and announces office opening in Moscow and Dubai

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Texnikabank OJSC continues its network expansion in accordance with the strategic development plan.

The Bank reports that taking into account close relationships between Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as broad trade turnover between the two countries, Texnikabank has become the first out of Azerbaijani banks which opened a representative office in Istanbul, Turkey. It operates in an office building at: Gümüş suyu İnönü Cad № 24, Öməravni məhəlləsi Bəyoğlu İstanbul.

“The opening of the Turkish office creates conditions for closer cooperation with Turkish banks and more opportunities in the area of financial transactions. Texnikabank offers its products to companies operating on the markets of Azerbaijan and Turkey, and renders all kinds of banking services,” the Bank says.

The strategic plan priority is to expand structural units of the Bank.

“Besides the Turkish markets, we are planning to appear at two more banking markets – Russia and the UAE – and, consequently, open representative offices in Moscow and Dubai,” Texnikabank informed.

Texnikabank OJSC was founded in 1993, and due to the main indicators is now in TOP 5 of the banking sector.

via Azerbaijan Business Center – Azerbaijan’s bank opens a representative office in Istanbul and announces office opening in Moscow and Dubai.

July 7, 2011
Some 500,000 Azerbaijani tourists to visit Turkey in 2011

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 2 / Trend, I. Isabalayeva /

Last year, Turkey was visited by 436,000 Azerbaijani tourists. It is expected that this year the number of Azerbaijani tourists visiting this country will hit 500,000 people, Chairman of Tourist Market Investors Association of Turkey (TYD), Turgut Gur told journalists.

“Turkish programs should be applied to promote Azerbaijan. First of all, all programs of the “Eurovision-2012″, to be held in Azerbaijan, should be made public for this purpose. They will be publicized next month,” Gur said.

In the future, Azerbaijan will get even more income from tourism, he said.

Azerbaijan needs to create other tourist services not related to the Caspian Sea to attract European tourists, the Turkish expert believes.

“Of course, the Caspian Sea is regarded as a cold sea. There are few people in Europe who can say “I am going to the Caspian Sea”. So another work should be done here. Tourists visiting Azerbaijan will get acquainted with the culture and cuisine, and it is necessary to increase the number of advertisements related to Azerbaijan’s tourism potential on world television channels,” Gur said.

via Some 500,000 Azerbaijani tourists to visit Turkey in 2011 | Society | Trend.

July 3, 2011