GUL IN KARS FOR START OF "IRON SILK ROAD" CONSTRUCTION

Turkish Press
July 24 2008

President Abdullah Gul yesterday arrived in Kars to attend a
ceremony marking the beginning of construction of the Turkish leg
of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, also known as the "Iron Silk
Road." The ceremony will take place today, and the Azerbaijani and
Georgian presidents will also be in attendance. Gul yesterday tended
to other official duties and visited the ruins of the Medieval-era
city of Ani. Asked about the Armenian president’s invitation for him
to come to the capital Yerevan to witness a World Cup qualifying
match between the Turkish and Armenian national soccer teams, Gul
said, "I thank my Armenian counterpart for his invitation. We’re
evaluating his offer. Turkey’s foreign policy on relations with its
neighbors is very clear: We want good neighborly relations with our
neighbors." /Aksam-Turkiye/