Gul: Security and Stability in South Caucasus Turkish Foreign Policy Priority

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.