TURKISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES VOW TO BOOST CLOSER COOPERATION

People’s Daily, China
Nov 18 2006

Four Turkish-speaking countries concluded its 8th summit meeting in
Turkey’s southern Mediterranean city Antalya on Friday, vowing to
boost a closer cooperation among them.

Presidents of the four countries, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan
and Kyrgyzstan, attended the summit and signed a final statement on
closer cooperation.

"Turkish-speaking countries should work hard to boost cooperation
in the areas of economy, industry, agriculture, transportation,
communication and tourism," the statement said.

It added that the countries should fully support activities and
initiatives that aimed to strengthen historic and cultural ties
among themselves.

"Improvement in international transportation between Turkey and
Turkish-speaking countries will create new opportunities and contribute
to economy of regional countries," the statement noted.

Highlighting the importance of Turkey’s accession process with the
European Union (EU), the statement stressed that it would contribute
to political, economic and social development in the region and
strengthen ties between the region and the EU.

On the Upper Karabakh issue, the statement indicated that the issue,
which is an obstruction to southern Caucasus’ stability and regional
cooperation, should be solved through peaceful means in conformity
with Azerbaijan’s independence and its territorial integrity.

The statement also underlined the importance of joint fight against
terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as
drug, weapon and human smuggling and other organized crimes.

A global response must be given to the fight against terrorism which
has become a global threat, it said, adding that any kind of terrorism
could not be justified.

The summit, initiated in 1992, focuses on consolidating friendly
relations and cooperation among participating countries, and
strengthening peace and stability in the region.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress