MOSCOW - Russian Federation Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Sergeyevich Razov said on Wednesday that the Blue Stream project became the most important factor of trade-economic cooperation between the two countries and stated that they hoped that a mutually acceptable solution would be found.
Razov replied to questions of A.A correspondent and stated that Moscow was sure that implementation of the earlier reached agreements, including solution of technical issues in the sphere of prices and taxes corresponded to national interests of both countries in a long term perspective.
Stating that at present, talks between the interested management sides on commercial aspects of The Blue Stream were going on, Razov said that they hoped that a mutually acceptable solution would be found. He added that Russian Foreign Ministry on its part, went on providing necessary political-diplomatic contribution to implementation of the mentioned above project in full volume.
Noting that relations with his country's southern neighbor Turkey were one of important directions of Russian foreign policy, Razov said that they were committed to utmostly favor the enlarging of contacts at different levels, their quality development, increase of the reached positive dynamics in bilateral dialogue. Razov added that they derived from the fact that Turkish government in its turn was adherent to the policy of developing good neighborhood relations with Russian Federation.
Razov said that during Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Moscow in December last year, there were meetings with Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, Russian Federation Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, other Russian leaders and stated that they evaluated those meetings as very important and rich in content.
''Now active preparation to the visit of Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul is going on. We expect that this visit will also become an important stage on the way of friendship Russian-Turkish relations further development, putting them to a new level corresponding to realities of present time and both countries potential, '' he stated.
''We'd like to point out successful work of the Joint High Level Work Group which was set up in accordance with the signed by Foreign Ministers in November 2001 'Plan of actions on developing cooperation between Russia and Turkey in Eurasia'. Three sessions of Joint High Level Work Group were held in capitals of Russia and Turkey, the latest one was held in Moscow in September 2003,'' Razov stated.
Razov stated that most actual problems of bilateral relations, regional problems, as well as possibilities of cooperation in struggle against such challenges and threats as terrorism, separatism, national and religious extremism and organized criminality were discussed at these sessions in the spirit of mutual understanding and openness.
''Turkey is now one of Russia's leading economic partners. It's enough to say that our trade turnover this year is expected to be 6 billion U.S. dollars. We pay first rate attention to development of diverse and balanced trade-economic relations between our countries,'' he noted.
Stating that Russian experts were ready to cooperate with Turkish colleagues in modernization and enlarging capacities of different industrial objects and enterprises constructed with our technical help in Turkey, Razov said that Turkish construction companies did a considerable amount of work on the territory of Russia: according to different estimation, the total sum of the fulfilled by them orders was from 6 to 10 billion U.S. dollars.
Razov said, ''this year, the number of Russian tourists visiting hospitable Turkish resorts has considerably grown. Only in Antalya, in first eight months of 2003, 571,6 thousand Russians spent their vacation, it's more than in the whole last year. Implementation of the unique project The Blue Stream has become most important factor of trade-economic cooperation between the two countries. In 2003, delivery of Russian natural gas to Turkey along the trans-Black Sea pipeline started.''
''Moscow views cooperation with Ankara in military-technical sphere perspective. The launching of Turkish satellite Bilsat-1 in September this year from Russian space ground Plisetsk opens possibility of bilateral cooperation in space exploring. At the same time, we think that the current level of Russian-Turkish trade-economic contacts doesn't correspond to the potential of both countries,'' Razov noted.
When A.A correspondent said that Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Islamic Conference Organization session in Malaysia that he was ready to being an intermediator between Christian and Muslim worlds and asked what kind of cooperation Russia and Turkey could make in that noble mission, Razov said, ''I'd like to draw your attention to the following words in the speech of Putin at the Islamic Conference Organization summit: 'In the course of many centuries, Russia as Eurasian country has been interlacing with Islamic world by traditional, natural links'. On vast territories of Eurasia, multiconfessional Russia has been a link chain between West and East for many centuries, supported many Muslim countries in their striving to national independence providing them with practical cooperation in their industrial basis and social infrastructure development. It is related to Turkey too. In this connection, we hope for support of Turkey political heads to Russian initiative of joining Islamic Conference Organization as an observer.''
Asked if Putin planned to visit Turkey, Razov said, ''The Turkish side has few time repeated an invitation to Russian Federation President to visit Turkey on official visit. We're sure that a visit at top level to Turkey could fix real neighborhood relations between the countries, would favor development of Russian-Turkish relations to the level of multisided constructive partnership. It's also clear that such visit needs thorough preparation.''
When he was recalled that Russia earlier expressed anxiety about support to Chechen militants by some groups in Turkey and asked if such criticisms continued, Razov said, ''official Ankara states on the situation in Chechen Republic that it's adherent to policy based on the principle of noninterference into interior affairs, respect to sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russian Federation. On the Theatre Center in Moscow crisis days in October 2002, political heads of Turkish Republic resolutely condemned that terrorist act.''
Razov went on saying, ''in the message to Russian Federation President Putin, President of Turkey Sezer expressed condolences to relatives of the deceased and stated that actions of terrorists could not be justified by anything. Moscow remembers and appreciates the principal and persistent position of Turkish heads in those days.''
Razov said, ''meantime we preserve concern about the activities on the Turkish territory of few non-governmental public organizations and persons who continue, according to our information, to provide political, material and other support to the acting in Chechnya terrorists. We regularly inform our Turkish colleagues about this anxiety by certain channels and hope for a corresponding reaction based on mutual approaches to problems of struggle against international terrorism.
(EÖ-BRC) 12.11.2003