President Ersin Tatar arrives in Azerbaijan to participate in the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organisation
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President Ersin Tatar has arrived in Azerbaijan today to participate in the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO).
The ECO Summit is being held on July 3–4, 2025, in Khankendi, reaffirming its leadership in promoting regional cooperation and sustainable development. The Summit will convene ECO Heads of States/Government, Ministers, ECO Observers, Special Guests from non-ECO countries and heads of international organisations to achieve development and prosperity through fragile economic integration.
Invited by Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan and ECO Secretary General Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan, President Tatar will also have bilateral meetings during his visit and take part in a ceremony at which he will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Azerbaijan Technical University.
Speaking at İstanbul Airport, President Tatar emphasised that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is becoming more acknowledged internationally. In this context, he noted the "significance of the ECO Leaders Summit, where the TRNC has held observer status since 2012".
Underlining the "importance of participating in such a high-level summit", President Tatar stated that since the TRNC became an observer member of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) in 2022 under its constitutional name, "it has been represented at the highest level both in the OTS and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)".
During his three-day visit to Azerbaijan, President Tatar will meet with representatives from other member states and the ECO Secretary General. He said these meetings will focus on strengthening cooperation between the TRNC—which holds a highly strategic position in the eastern Mediterranean—and ECO member countries, particularly in the areas of tourism, higher education, and trade.
“Our country, with its fully equipped new airport capable of handling over 10 million passengers annually, ports, and our Exclusive Economic Zone, are ready to serve as a bridge for enhancing and facilitating trade within the organisation, from Central Asia to the eastern Mediterranean,” President Tatar stated.