President Gül Accentuates High Level of Turkey’s Relations with Georgia, Azerbaijan

President Gül, delivering a speech during the joint press conference held following the Turkey-Georgia-Azerbaijan Trilateral Summit, reiterated that the geographic cooperation between the three countries has created a great center of attraction in the Southern Caucasus.

President Abdullah Gül, President Margvelashvili of Georgia and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan held a joint news conference after the trilateral summit held at the Georgian Presidential Palace.

ROBUST COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE THREE COUNTRIES

President Gül, noting that they as the presidents of these three countries who share a common vision regarding the Southern Caucasus discussed in detail all the dimensions of their existing cooperation.

Pointing to the high level of Turkey’s relations with Georgia and Azerbaijan, President Gül informed his audience that the volume of trade between Turkey and Georgia has reached 1.5 billion dollars and noted that the Turkish investment in that country is 1 billion dollars. Our relations have reached a point where our citizens can travel with their identity cards, added the President, maintaining that as for Turkish-Azeri volume of trade, it is 4.5 billion dollars and the investments are worth 5.5 billion dollars.

The geographic cooperation between the three countries, stressed President Gül, has created a great center of attraction in the Southern Caucasus, continuing: “The strength of this attraction is growing such that we have carried out huge projects together including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum Gas Pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway all of which were considered by some to be projects impossible to complete. The first two of these projects have already been consummated and as for the railway project, it will be completed soon.”

PROJECTS ON TRANSPORTATION

President Gül further went on to mention the projects on transportation and expressed his pleasure that there are other huge projects being carried out in this area including huge viaducts and tunnels. He also shared his hope that the TANAP project will also be completed soon and underscored the importance of coordination between the three countries in terms of conducting these projects, adding that “we hope to enhance the prosperity and economic development in the region through these projects.”

CRUCIALITY OF GEORGIAN AND AZERI TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY

The President also emphasized that they have common approaches which are based upon universal values and which aim for the protection of stability and peace. He reiterated Turkey’s strong support for the independence and territorial integrity of Georgia and Azerbaijan, adding that they have reaffirmed their view toward the resolution of the conflicts in the region through peaceful means on the basis of territorial integrity.

UKRAINIAN CRISIS

President Gül further continued as follows: “We agree that the crisis in Ukraine affects security and stability in our region. It is crucial that the crisis reach a political resolution within the framework of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and international law. The constitutional reform must embrace all from the four corners of the country. We also lend our support to the role that the OSCE Observation Mission in Ukraine plays in the abatement of the tension and the consolidation of dialogue. I would like to reiterate that Turkey is closely following the situation of the Crimean Tatar people in that country as well.”

PRESIDENT MARGVELASHVILI: THE SUMMIT HAS A HISTORIC IMPORTANCE

As for President Margvelashvili of Georgia, he declared the summit to be historic and offered his thanks to President Gül, who he said has laid the grounds of this summit, and to President Aliyev of Azerbaijan, who he remembered has supported this project.  Accentuating that tens of millions of people will reap the benefits of this summit, President Margvelashvili predicted that the trilateral summit between the three countries will have affirmative influences upon the economies and prosperities of these countries as well as upon the stability of the whole region.

PRESIDENT ALIYEV: TURKEY, GEORGIA AND AZERBAIJAN WILL PROVIDE THE SECURITY OF ENERGY

Azeri President Aliyev also delivered a speech during the joint press conference. He emphasized that as a result of the cooperation between the three countries, the energy security in the region will be provided by Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

LUNCHEON GIVEN IN HONOR OF PRESIDENTS GÜL AND ALIYEV

Af ter the joint news conference, Georgian President Margvelashvili hosted a luncheon in honor of President Gül and President Aliyev. Afterwards, President Gül had a tete-a-tete with his Azeri counterpart.

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