Turkish president meets Azeri, Georgian counterparts

Anatolia news agency, Ankara
24 May 05

BAKU

Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer met Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev on Tuesday [24 May].

Sezer and Aliyev discussed bilateral relations and regional issues as
well as Azerbaijan-Armenia issue.

Sources said that Turkey and Azerbaijan have similar views about the
issue and they both want to solve the problem rapidly.

Sezer and Aliyev especially took up further development of economic
relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Sezer said he hoped Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project would
become example for other projects. He said that such projects
contribute to economic development and regional stability.

Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer met Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili in Baku, Azerbaijan on Tuesday.

Saakashvili said that they consider Turkey as a stability country in
the region and they are pleased with Turkey’s balanced approach to
regional problems.

Sezer said that Turkey wants southern Caucasia to be a region of
stability. He added that he hoped Abkhazia and Ossetia problems would
be solved within the territorial integrity of Georgia.

They also agreed to develop economic relations between Turkey and
Georgia.

Sezer and Saakashvili also discussed Kars (Turkey)-Akhaltsikhe
(Georgia)-Baku railway project. Sezer said that a declaration would be
signed about the issue tomorrow. He said he hoped the project would be
implemented soon.

Sezer later attended a dinner which was hosted by Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev in honour of guest presidents in Baku.

Besides Sezer, Saakashvili and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev,
who are currently in Baku, attended the dinner.