Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gül addressed the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Summit in Almaty, Kazakhstan, arguing that a broad, coordinated response is the only effective way to tackle the security challenges facing the world today.
Gül noted that threats such as terrorism, organized crime, weapons and drug smuggling, and human trafficking recognize no political or geographic boundaries, making cooperation among CICA member states essential to regional stability. He also urged CICA members to back the Alliance of Civilizations initiative, jointly sponsored by Türkiye and Spain.
Responding to reporters' questions, Gül welcomed an agreement signed the previous day by the presidents of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to bring Kazakhstan into the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline project. "Ceyhan is becoming a real big oil center," he said.
Gül added that Türkiye hopes Kazakh natural gas can eventually be routed through the Caspian corridor to connect with the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline, and called on both sides to work toward that goal. He also noted that Turkish business investment has played a meaningful role in Kazakhstan's economic development.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.