SHUSHA / AA

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that relations between his country and Turkey represent a model that neighboring countries should study and emulate.

Aliyev made the remarks during a meeting with participants of the "4th Global Media Forum" in the Azerbaijani city of Shusha on Monday, where he assessed regional and global developments.

In response to a question from Anadolu Agency Deputy Director General and Editor-in-Chief Yusuf Özhan regarding Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, Aliyev stated that Turkey and Azerbaijan are "the two closest countries among all the nations of the world."

Aliyev emphasized that when looking at the level of cooperation between the two countries in political, economic, energy, regional connectivity fields, and people-to-people relations, there are no two countries in the world as close as Turkey and Azerbaijan, supporting each other to such an extent and bound by such a strong friendship.

He noted that relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan also constitute an important element for achieving regional stability and cooperation.

Aliyev also touched upon international transport issues, pointing out that transit traffic through Azerbaijan has increased due to the current situation in the Middle East.

He affirmed that Azerbaijan's importance in the field of transit transport is growing day by day.

The forum, titled "The Role of Media in Strengthening Peace: Re-establishing Truth and Rebuilding Trust," gathers about 160 participants from 53 countries.

The forum includes more than 30 news agencies, 10 international organizations, and about 60 media institutions, and is scheduled to continue for two days.