Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

REVUE DE PRESSE-PRESS REVIEW-BERHEVOKA ÇAPÊ-RIVISTA STAMPA-DENTRO DE LA PRENSA-BASIN ÖZET;
media, European man-on-the-s~reet, European businessmen
and the European parliaments to better recognize
Turkey's value, This is my message to.
Europe, We want to be together wit~ Europ~, we
don't wantto be dra~ged away, But If they t~e.the
price of our unity with Europe, t~ some ,condltlO,ns
that will cause the country's disintegration or dismemberment,
Turkey will not accept tliat.
Black Sea Economic Cooperation
organization and Russia
Another regional grouping imQC)rtantfor Turkey
is the Black Sea Economic Cooperation organization.
I attach great importance to this. This
will turn the Black Sea into a lake of peace. 'f!ùs will
reactivate the historicaltrade rOlltes to ASIa. The
trade routes now severed for political reasons will
regain vitality. Russia is very Important for us. We
don't want our relations with RUSSiato come to harm.
The Chechnya affair, and TurRey's relations :-vi~hthe
Central Asian republics should not cause a chili In the
relations with Russia. The attempts to settle the
Chechnya problem with repression, with force, with
bloodshed are utterly wrong. I sai~ this w~y back ~n
Dec. 17 in a letter I sent to RUSSIanPresIdent Bons
Yeltsin.
• 1 In the Black Sea
DH;;f
Economic Cooperation
Organization everybody
has a stake in 10..11
states staying together
and collectively
searching opportunities
for cooperation.
Turkey will continue
vanguarding this.
Russia should not feel concern about Turkey's
developing ties with Central Asia. We shall not
attempt to govern these state~ the~e. E~ery state will
govern itself. But we have histoncaltles to Central
Asia and these should not irritate anyone. We are Dot
instigating anyone in CentraI Asia to do anything. On
the contrary, we advise them to get along well with
Russia.
The exploitation of the dormant mineraI resources
in CentraI Asia will infuse. wealth to the region. And
if Turkey can contribute to this in any way, this will
mean helping these countries to rise up on their own.
feet.
In Russia, people should support the frieDdship
between their country and Turkey. In my belief, both
Tùrkey and Russia have a golden opportunity to furthér
develop their ties.
.;. Russia should not
@'+
1~iattempt to play some
cards it thinks will
intimidate Turkey, like,
for instance, getting its
hand into the Kurdish
issue. This will
extremely disturb
Turkey.
Turkey can help Russia to improve its economy.
But, on the other hand, Russia sliould not attempt to
play some cards it thinks will intimidate Turkey, such
as, for instance, getting its hand into the Kurdish
issue.
This would disturb Turkey extremely.
And any such attempts to destabilize Turkey will
not be in its best interests.
Coming back to the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation organization, three years have passed
since the signing of the agreement in June 1992. The
preparatory stage is now complete. We start the second
phase, with the second summit to be held in
Romania.
I attach importance to the summit. Everybody has a
stake in 10-11 states staying together and collectively
searching opportunities for cooperation .
Turkey will continue in the vanguard of this
search.
ECO
There are now 10 member states in the
Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
The summit meeting (in Karachi) on March 13
w,asextremely encouraging. This is a new world ~ith
300' million people. Turkey should lend its weIght
both to the BlacICSea Economic Cooperation organi-
~tion and this ECO. ECO is a new and growing project.
.seven new states have joined Turkey, Iran and
Pakistan, the traditional members. Many of the newcomers
are just evolving into states. !here are g~eat
benefits for them from the cooperation. There IS a
great potential in the CentraI Asian countries.
I Central Asia shoul.d
.. reach the sea. It wIll
have access to the sea
either over Pakistan over
Iran or over Turkey. The
Pakistan route is
inevitable. But the opening
of the other route
(over Iran) might block
the Turkish route to the
sea or vastly reduce its
significance. And Iran is
already engaged in a big
effort to provide the sea
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