Following 2 hours of theoretical training, all the trainees attended to the practical implementation on firefighting techniques outside of the Farilya Business Center building. This training session; both theoretical and practical; made a valuable contribution for increasing of awareness on the importance of fire & firefighting. Training programme and list of participants are officially registered by Ankara Municipality / Head of Fire Brigade Department.

We would like to thank to training experts for sharing their experiences and providing valuable & rich training content with us and all participants for their close interest and cooperation.

The intergovernmental treaty for the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP) which is planned to be actualized in six years with an investment of seven billion dollars was signed on June 26, 2012 in the Prime Minister’s Dolmabahçe Office. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız and Azerbaijan Industry and Energy Minister Natık Aliyev signed the treaty for the two nations at the ceremony where Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Republic of Azerbaijan President İlham Aliyev stood as witnesses. With the signatures of Erdoğan and Aliyev which endorsed the treaty a new era has started between the two nations in the field of energy.

At the ceremony, the home country treaty regarding TANAP between the Republic of Turkey Government and Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Company was signed by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız and SOCAR Chairman Rövnag Abdullayev. The memorandum of understanding of the project was signed by SOCAR Chairman Rövnag Abdullayev and BOTAŞ Deputy General Manager Mehmet Konuk where the energy ministers of the two countries stood as witnesses.

The two leaders, Republic of Azerbaijan President İlham Aliyev and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held bilateral discussions before the signature ceremony. After the ceremony the two leaders held a joint press conference where they stressed the point that the two nations have strong bonds and that they will continue acting together. Azerbaijan President İlham Aliyev said that TANAP is a project of Turkey and Azerbaijan and added: “Turkey has always been on the side of the Azerbaijan people during very difficult times. Our people will never forget this. TANAP is an expression of this. Azerbaijan considers Turkey’s energy security as its own energy security. Our interests, intentions, and policies are one and the same. I consider this day as a historical one because today we open new pages in the book of history and put our signatures there. Both nations will benefit from this in the future.”

 ALİYEV: “I TAKE PRIDE IN THE FACT THAT TURKISHAZERBAIJAN RELATIONS ARE AT THEIR PEAK”

Azerbaijan President İlham Aliyev stated that he is happy to be on the Turkish soil and went on to say, “I take pride in the fact that Turkish-Azerbaijan relations are at their peak. Azerbaijan has been an independent country for the last twenty years. During this period Turkish-Azerbaijan relations have always been at a high level. These relations are getting stronger and deeper. Bonding and fellowship have stood at the foundation of these relations. The great leader Atatürk said: ‘Azerbaijan’s grief is our grief, their happiness is our happiness.’ I am very happy to be experiencing these joyful days.”

Aliyev stated that they have laid the foundation of a big project at Petkim İzmir and that the investment for the pipeline will be around 15-20 billion dollars in total; he then added, “If these relations were not based on fellowship, brotherhood we would not be talking big capital right now.” Aliyev went on to say that the bond between the two peoples lies at the foundation of this work, that TANAP will be actualized by the two nations in five years, and that they will be celebrating at the opening ceremony in the same joyful way.”

ERDOĞAN: “AZERBAIJAN AND TURKEY ARE TWO NATIONS BONDED BY STRONG BROTHERHOOD AND KINSHIP TIES”

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that in addition to deep kinship and neighborhood ties between the two nations, relations with strategic importance exist in the field of energy. Erdoğan emphasized that in the context of energy collaboration, Baku-Tiflis-Ceyhan (BTC) crude oil and Baku-Tiflis-Erzurum natural gas pipelines have been successfully actualized and that they are two historical projects which are registered as globally important. He then went on to say: “At this point I would like to emphasize that we strongly support the Southern Gas Corridor projects which will forward the Hazar Basin and Central Asian natural gas to Europe through alternative routes over our country with the goal of assuring our own energy supply security and also contributing to the energy supply security of Europe. We also place a great deal of importance on the diversification of resources and routes which is one of the basic elements of our energy strategy.”

Erdoğan reminded that after the negotiations held last year a memorandum of understanding was signed with Azerbaijan on December 24, 2011 upon an intergovernmental treaty on October 25, 2011 regarding the sale to Turkey of 6 billion cubic meters of the natural gas obtained from Şahdeniz Faz 2 and the transit of 10 billion cubic meters of it to Europe over Turkey. Erdoğan added that on June 26, 2012 a new step was taken by signing an intergovernmental treaty and a home government treaty regarding TANAP. Erdoğan went on to say, “Therefore today we are witnessing an important event not only from the point of view of the development of Turkish-Azerbaijan energy collaboration but also from the point of view of the energy supply security of our country and the energy supply of Europe.”

SOCAR Chairman Rövnag Abdullayev:

“Turkey’s hand in energy will strengthen”

State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) Chairman Rövnag Abdullayev made a statement regarding the formal TANAP signatures and said that the Turkish-Azerbaijan strategic partnership has attained a new identity with TANAP. Abdullayev pointed out to the fact that these investments which were realized within the context of the insight “One Nation, Two States” set forth by the founder of modern Azerbaijan and great statesman Heydar Aliyev have carried Azerbaijan and Turkey beyond a brotherhood to a strategic partnership and he went on to say: TANAP is one of the most important projects which have added a new momentum to Azerbaijan-Turkey relations during the collaboration in the field of energy which started with the privatization of Petkim in 2008.

As SOCAR our investment in Turkey has risen to 17 billion dollars with TANAP, thus making Azerbaijan the biggest country and SOCAR the biggest company investing in the Turkish industry. With TANAP which is the result of our team work we will contribute a lot to the energy security of Europe. With this project Turkey and Azerbaijan will contribute a great deal to world peace and stability. As SOCAR we are aware that the project has a strategic importance; therefore, we approach TANAP with great care. With the signatures of today we formally start our work. No one should doubt the fact that this project will be actualized on time and without any problems. Turkey’s situation will every passing day get better energy wise on account of the advantages resulting from its geography and its geopolitical position. I thank Republic of Azerbaijan President İlham Aliyev, Republic of Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Energy Minister Taner Yıldız and his team who have willingly supported and contributed to the project and also, all my fellow workers. I hope that Turkey and Azerbaijan will benefit from TANAP.”

Main points from TANAP

• TANAP will be realized with the predicted 7 billion dollar investment. The first stage of the project will be completed in 2018. SOCAR, BOTAŞ, and TPAO are the first partners in the consortium for TANAP. Turkey’s share with BOTAŞ and TPAO in this consortium will be 20 percent while SOCAR’s shares in the project will be 80 percent.
• With TANAP it is anticipated that the natural gas from Azerbaijan will be transmitted over Georgia to Turkey where it will be sold. 6 billion cubic meters portion of the 16 billion cubic meters of gas of Şahdeniz 2 Consortium will be sold in Turkey while the 10 billion cubic meters portion will be delivered with TANAP to Europe at the Bulgarian and/or Greek border.
• The entrance spot of the 56 inch line will be the Türkgözü Border Gate at the Turkish border and the exit spots to Europe will be Greek and/or Bulgarian borders, with the exit spots within Turkey being Eskişehir and Thracian area.
• The first of the four projected stages for TANAP will be realized in 2018 and the flow of gas will start. The capacity which will be 16 billion cubic meters in 2020 is expected to increase to 23 cubic meters in 2023 and to 31 billion cubic meters in 2026.
• The project which will strengthen the western area supply security by nurturing the western entrance of the Turkish National Transmit Line is also perceived as an alternative line in the future for transmitting the Turcoman gas to Turkey and Europe.
• TANAP which possesses a very big strategic importance for Turkey and Azerbaijan delivers supply security for Turkey and Europe with its optimal price and designated natural gas capacity. It also opens new doors by transmitting Azerbaijani natural gas resources to new markets.

SOCAR Turkey Chairman Kenan Yavuz:

With TANAP Azerbaijan will be the biggest foreign investor in Turkey” After the signature ceremony SOCAR Turkey Chairman (CEO) Kenan Yavuz evaluated the SOCAR investments on the Petkim Peninsula and TANAP. Kenan Yavuz stated that with TANAP, SOCAR will be the biggest foreign investor in Turkey and said, “After buying Petkim, SOCAR has planned a total investment of 9 billion dollars on the Petkim Peninsula including the STAR Refinery, Petkim Container Port, STEP Power Plant, capacity increases in the existing Petkim factories, and new product investments. With TANAP SOCAR’s total investment in Turkey will reach 17 billion dollars by 2018.”

Yavuz pointed out to the fact that TANAP will transmit the natural gas obtained from the Şahdeniz 2 basin to Europe over Turkey and that this will make a big contribution to resource diversification of energy in Turkey. Yavuz then went on to say: “This project which will cross Turkey from east to west and reach over to Europe will strengthen the worldwide standing of Turkey and Azerbaijan, the two countries occupying the most strategic geography in the world, to an extent incomparable to today. These investments carry Turkey and Azerbaijan to a strategic partnership beyond their brotherhood. We as SOCAR Turkey are very happy to be contributing to Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s growing economies and their increasing roles in the world energy policy.”

Republic of Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Honorable President, my dear brother, dear guests and members of the press, I salute you with love and respect. Azerbaijan and Turkey are two nations bonded by strong brotherhood and kinship ties. Moreover as in the late President Heydar Aliyev’s, may his soul rest in peace, unforgettable saying we Azerbaijani and Turkish people see and accept ourselves as “one nation, two states.” With the treaties we have signed recently we have added a strategic quality to our brotherhood and carried our relations to a higher level. In addition to our deep kinship and neighborhood ties which we emphasize in every occasion, our relations have acquired a strategic importance in the area of energy. Two historical projects, Baku-Tiflis-Ceyhan (BTC) crude oil and Baku-Tiflis-Erzurum natural gas pipelines, which have been realized successfully in the context of our collaboration in energy and whose importance has been globally registered bond us in a very different way. At this point I would like to emphasize the following.

We strongly support the Southern Gas Corridor projects which will forward the Hazar Basin and Central Asian natural gas to Europe through alternative routes over our country with the goal of assuring our own energy supply security and also contributing to the energy supply security of Europe. We also place a great deal of importance on the diversification of resources and routes which is one of the basic elements of our energy strategy. After the negotiations held last year we signed with our Azerbaijani brothers an intergovernmental treaty on October 25, 2011 and a memorandum of understanding on December 24, 2011 regarding the sale of 6 billion cubic meters of the natural gas obtained through Şahdeniz Faz 2 to Turkey and the transit of 10 billion cubic meters of it to Europe over Turkey. Today we have taken a historical step. We have signed an intergovernmental treaty and a home government treaty regarding TANAP which is the short name for Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project. TANAP is a very important historical project which will transmit Azerbaijani gas to Europe over Turkey. Therefore today we are witnessing, you are witnessing a very important event not only from the point of view of the development of Turkish-Azerbaijan energy collaboration but also from the point of view of the energy supply security of our country and the energy supply of Europe.

I would like to say here that we are very happy and proud to be with you on this historical day. Esteemed friends, with the treaties signed today the most important step has been taken towards completing the legal infrastructure of the project. In addition to deepening the strategic collaboration between our two countries this project will also establish an organic tie between Azerbaijan and Europe over Turkey. With the realization of the Project our nations will have contributed significantly to the European Union’s goal of resource diversification and will also assume an important role in the European energy supply security. In other words, these projects which form the east-west energy corridor are strategic advances towards developing security and peace and assuring economic growth in the area. They also strengthen the political and economic ties between the nations in the area and their relations with the Western world. From this point of view these projects carry a meaning far beyond being a commercial investment.

TANAP will start operation with the Şahdeniz 2 gas. However, it is possible to transmit with this pipeline natural gas from other areas of Azerbaijan. In addition, gas from areas beyond the Caspian will be directed to TANAP. We believe completely that this project which requires an investment of billions of dollars will secure the welfare of the people of the area and of the future generations. We believe again that it will strengthen our common fate and the energy dimension of our perfect relations. I therefore hope that the treaties signed today will be of benefit to all of us and I salute you again with respect. My esteemed brother Azerbaijan’s presence at Petkim deserves more than any degree of appreciation and Petkim has been one of the most important investments among the privatization projects. Azerbaijan did not of course stop with this first step, PETKIM. I and my brother İlham toured this big city Aliağa in a helicopter. Aliağa will become a completely different city with the help of rehabilitation and additional investments. In addition to petroleum products investments are being made in ports, additional facilities, refineries and on top of all this, the Azerbaijani gas will be processed here as though it is being processed in its original country. And we ought to remember dear friends that the best expression of being one nation is Aliağa, Petkim, the refinery, the ports. But it did not stop here. I am grateful for another act. My brother İlham has in the name of his father and mother built schools at different places in our country and thus by sealing his and his nation’s name in our world of education has secured our brotherhood more thoroughly.

Republic of Azerbaijan President İlham Aliyev

Venerable Prime Minister, my dear brother. Honorable ladies and gentlemen, dear friends.First of all, I would like to stress the point that I am very happy to be on Turkish soil, my brother’s soil. It is an honor for me to be here with you on this historical day. I am proud to say that today the Turkish-Azerbaijani relations are at their peak. Last year we celebrated the 20th year of our independence. Azerbaijan has been an independent country for the last twenty years. During this period Turkish-Azerbaijan relations have always been at a high level. These relations are getting stronger and deeper. Bonding and fellowship have stood at the foundation of these relations. Turkish world’s great son, the great leader Atatürk said: “Azerbaijan’s grief is our grief, their happiness is our happiness.” These unforgettable and historical sayings are a beacon, a guiding spirit for Turkey and Azerbaijan. And I am very happy to be living these joyful days. The ventures we have initiated together and the projects we have actualized bond us and our peoples and support the start of the new era in our district. It is the Turkish-Azerbaijani fellowship and friendship that realizes all these projects. Every project is bound to have commercial, economical, and technical issues. However if it had not been for a secure foundation we would not be successful in energy and other areas. I especially stress this point. Our relations have spread to a large area. This includes all areas. I do not know of any other political allies in the world which can be compared to Azerbaijan and Turkey. We act together in the issues of our area; we always carry on political negotiations.

Our collaboration in economy is very important for the whole area. The Turkish-Azerbaijani collaboration is an element of stability for the area. The big projects which we have actualized together have added new aspects to the world energy map. These projects now are an inseparable part of the area. The Baku-Tiflis-Ceyhan (BTC) project of 2006 and the Baku-Tiflis- Erzurum (BTE) project of 2007 have changed the European energy map significantly and today, on this historical day we give start to TANAP which has historical importance. I am sure that TANAP will be as successful and will be completed on time and with the same quality as BTC, BTE projects. As you know there have been a lot of talks in recent years on the subject of transmitting Azerbaijani natural gas to Europe and a lot of programs were made on this subject. We could see that these talks were continuing without any results. And as was done before we held a bilateral talk and came to a decision: “As Turkey and Azerbaijan we have to be the leaders and realize this project together.”

This project is a project of Turkey and Azerbaijan only. The documents signed today are a proof of this and we will realize this project with our own power, our own money, and our own technical resources. As a first step, TANAP will provide Turkey with more natural gas and transit possibilities over Turkey will also arise. This project will in the future also support the European energy security. There is no discord in this matter. As you know, with the start of the operation of BTE Natural Gas Pipeline, Azerbaijan has started transmitting natural gas to Turkey. TANAP will enable large quantities of Azerbaijani natural gas to be transmitted to Turkey. Our natural gas resources are very large. Şahdeniz project alone has a natural gas reserve of 1.2 trillion cubic meters. In addition, the rest of the Azerbaijani reserves total to 2.6 trillion cubic meters. In other words, I am sure that this project we have started today will during the following ten years, maybe one hundred years, maybe longer assure our interests and our energy security. At the same time, new markets will arise for Azerbaijan, thus resolving this issue. Our collaboration in the field of energy does not end with this project. Last year in Izmir at Petkim my esteemed brother the Prime Minister and I lay the foundation for a large project. Petkim and TANAP investments total to 15-20 billion dollars.

I would like to emphasize the following again. If our relations had not been based on friendship and fellowship principles we would not be talking about such big investments now. Coming back to the real issue, the bonding between our peoples, the reconciliation of our interests, and the love we have for each other form the foundation for all the work we have undertaken.

I am sure that these projects will strengthen our relations and that bigger projects are awaiting us in the future. As for TANAP, Turkey and Azerbaijan being the leaders will complete the project on time, that is in five years and we will be celebrating the start of the operation of TANAP in the same joyful manner. The Turkish-Azerbaijani relations today are at a different level than similar ones worldwide. The fact that we are one nation lies at the foundation of these relations. The big son of Azerbaijan people, my father’s remark “one nation, two states” comes from deep within the heart. What is important is that this remark is a road map for us. We would like to develop our collaboration.

The projects we have realized today strengthen our bonding. This is necessary for our states, our peoples, and our area. The Turkish-Azerbaijani collaboration and alliance is a necessary and real element in the area. It provides stability. We have to support each other in every field. Turkey was the first country who recognized Azerbaijan’s independence. Turkey has proved that it will support its brother and it has also been a guiding spirit for other countries. The Azerbaijani people will never forget this. Turkey has been on our side during our most difficult times.

Azerbaijan is always on the side of Turkey; this bonding, collaboration, and brotherhood is blooming and gaining strength. TANAP is an expression of this. Such projects have taken place before and will take place in the future too. We consider TANAP as a project of Turkey and Azerbaijan only. It is not a coincidence that Turkey and Azerbaijan have realized this project. Azerbaijan has assured its energy security. We have resources. We consider Turkey’s energy security as our own. This is only natural. We are one nation.

Our interests, intentions, and policy are one and the same and these projects are strengthening our relations. I did not mention that today is an important day for nothing. In reality, we are today opening new pages in the book of history. We put our signatures on these new pages so that our peoples will benefit from these in the future. I would like to express my gratitude for the hospitality shown to myself and for the nice remarks you have stated for Azerbaijan. We have to actualize this project in five years’ time; let all the organizations related to this project mark this target and make our day again five years later.