Azerbaijani MPs approve passport-free travel with Turkey

Azerbaijan's National Assembly approved agreements Monday allowing passport-free travel between Azerbaijan and Turkey and the establishment of a joint media platform between the two countries.

At the first meeting of the spring session of Azerbaijan's parliament, lawmakers discussed a memorandum of understanding between the two countries on strategic cooperation in the area of media and passport-free travel agreements.

A protocol on amendments to an agreement signed in Baku on Feb. 25, 2020 on mutual visa exemption between Azerbaijan and Turkey was reviewed and the document was adopted in parliament.

However, the use of passports will still be mandatory for those entering Azerbaijan and Turkey from third countries, according to the amendment.

The MPs also voted on and adopted a document on expanding relations in the area of the media, noting the agreement will greatly contribute to relations between the two countries in this realm.

In her speech at the General Assembly, Ganira Pashayeva, chairman of the Cultural Commission of the Azerbaijani parliament, thanked the Turkish media organizations who actively conveyed the facts on Azerbaijan to the world during the 44-day war in Karabakh.

She also pointed out that the agreement on a joint media platform is in line with the late President Heydar Aliyev's principle of "one nation, two states."

Both agreements were signed during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Baku on Dec. 10, 2020.