Azeri energy minister Aliyev dies of heart problem in Turkey: Report

ISTANBUL

Azeri Energy Minister Natig Aliyev died on June 9, a day after being transferred to hospital in Istanbul for treatment for a heart complaint, Azeri news agency APA-Economics reported.The 69-year-old veteran executive in Azerbaijan’s energy sector was president of state energy company SOCAR and chaired the company’s board of directors between 1993 and 2005.He was appointed energy and industry minister in 2005 and became energy minister in 2013.Aliyev represented Azerbaijan in its negotiations with foreign companies over major energy contracts and took part in talks with OPEC members on global oil production cuts.He has been in Turkey for several times as part of the close relations between the two countries.The Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project, which is projected to carry the Azeri gas to Turkey, is important, especially for Turkey, Georgia and European countries, as it will reduce dependence on other gas resources from places such as Russia, he said at the 20th Eurasian Economic Summit in Istanbul on April 5.