GUL: SECURITY AND STABILITY IN SOUTH CAUCASUS TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITY

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.03.2006 22:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ensuring security and stability in the South
Caucasus has always been a priority to Turkey’s foreign policy,
Turkish FM Abdullah Gul said. “Our relations with states of the region
rest on deep historic and cultural roots. Presence of independent,
peacefully co-existing and cooperating states with political and
economic stability is important to us in the South Caucasus in that
respect,” the Turkish FM said. In his words, strategic cooperation of
Ankara with Azerbaijan and Georgia strengthens. We make consecutive
efforts to strengthen independence and sovereignty, as well as preserve
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and Georgia,” Abdullah Gul added.

“We highlight relations with Azerbaijan, which are best reflected in
the words of the late Heydar Aliyev: “One nation, two states.” Turkey
provided comprehensive military, financial, technical, education
support to Baku and it will continue doing it,” Gul said. In
his words, democratization in South Caucasus is a major goal of
Turkey’s foreign policy. “Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia lately
implemented joint projects, each of which can be considered as
“a success formula.” The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline beginning
operation in 2006, planned completion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas
pipeline this year, as well as engineering assessment of the building
of Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway, which we hope to put into
operation as soon as possible are some of these important projects,”
the Turkish FM said, reports Trend agency.