July 13, 2006 - 18:02 AMT
Turkish President "Hopes for Soonest Establishment of Peace and Stability in South Caucasus"
"Turkey is bound with Caucasian peoples with deep historical roots, and I wholeheartedly hope that peace, stability and prosperity will soon become South Caucasus symbols. I believe the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline as a model of cooperation between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia will be a pledge for prosperity of the entire region," Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated at the opening ceremony of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline at Ceyhan Terminal after Heydar Aliyev July 13.

In his words, Turkey is in the center of "the energy map of the world". "Official Ankara works for using all advantages of the geostrategic position," Sezer said. "After the BTC oil pipeline Samsun-Ceyhan oil pipeline and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipelines are planned to be put into operation. Special attention will be paid to implementation of East-West energy corridor, specifically putting into operation NABUCCO gas pipeline. All this will finally contribute to economic development of the region, as well as strengthening stability and peace," Sezer said.