TURKISH, AZERI PRESIDENTS DISCUSS CAUCASUS, BAKU-CEYHAN PIPELINE
Anatolia News Agency
Nov 5 2008
Turkey
Ankara, 5 November: Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Wednesday
that "we are dealing with the problems of Caucasia in a brave manner
altogether."
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart
Ilham Aliyev in Ankara, Gul said that "Caucasian leaders display
the will to resolve problems in various platforms. This is a very
positive development."
Congratulating Aliyev for having been recently re-elected, Gul said
that "the Turkish people have been honoured to welcome Aliyev in his
first foreign trip after getting re-elected."
"The presidential election in Azerbaijan was a good model for the whole
region. At a time when the Caucasus is going through an important
phase, we had a chance to discuss the regional problems extensively
with Aliyev on Wednesday," Gul said.
"It is in the interest of all in the Caucasus to develop
cooperation. Within this framework, Turkey proposed the Caucasus
Cooperation and Stability Platform. A climate of understanding via
dialog will help resolve problems in the Caucasus. I can state that
a new process began to solve the Karabakh problem," Gul stressed.
Reminding that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan signed a joint document in Russia recently,
Gul said that Turkey supports the dialog process that began in Moscow.
Gul said that Aliyev and he also discussed energy matters, including
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum
natural gas pipeline.
"These great projects are open to the whole region and will bring
peace and stability," Gul said.
"Bilateral relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan continue at the
highest level possible," Gul also said.