Türkiye will keep working for validation of Azerbaijan's credentials at Council of Europe assembly: President

​​​​​​By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye will continue to work to get Azerbaijan's credentials at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) duly validated, said Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.

“We will continue our support and efforts for Azerbaijan until the decision (not ratifying their credentials) is overturned,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a news conference in the capital Ankara alongside his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev.

Last month, PACE voted to deny validation to the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation to the body, alleging that it has not fulfilled major commitments under its Council of Europe membership.

Erdogan also said that with the end of Armenia’s nearly 30-year occupation of Karabakh, a historic window of opportunity opened for lasting peace in the region, adding that it is “crucial” that this window does not close.

On trade ties, Erdogan said: “The total Turkish-Azerbaijani trade volume last year reached $7.5 billion for the first time. We will step up our efforts to achieve a $15 billion target,” Erdogan added.

Erdogan on Monday welcomed Aliyev in the capital Ankara to discuss all aspects of bilateral relations, as well as steps to further cooperation between the two countries.

Aliyev’s visit to Ankara is his first trip abroad since being reelected earlier this month.