TRABZON - The Turkish Foreign Trade Undersecretariat (DTM) Trade Attache's Office in Tbilisi said that establishment of close relations between Turkey and Georgia and development of those relations would contribute to stability in the region.
In a report, the Trade Attache's Office in Tbilisi said that Georgia was a door opening to Caucasus and Central Asia for Turkey and had key role in terms of improvement of relations with Caucasian and Central Asian countries following dissolution of Soviet Union.
Stressing that Turkey's long term policy towards the region had political, economic and social dimensions, the report said development of relations with Georgia which was playing the role of a bridge between Turkey and the region without any problem was the requirement of Turkey's national interests, adding that it had been expressed at highest-level that sovereignty, territorial integrity and political unity of Georgia with which Turkey had been maintaining its relations since it acquired its independence in 1991 should be preserved.
This policy which was required by Turkey's strategic interests was actually welcomed by the Georgian administration which was facing problems threatening its unity such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia, it said.
Stressing that peace, tranquility and stability in Caucasus were very important also for Turkey, the report said that close cooperation between Turkey and Georgia which were geopolitically two important countries on East-West and North-South axis in Eurasia would positively affect development of their geography, adding that another aim of Turkey's policy towards Georgia was to support initiatives that would have Georgia integrate with the West.
Georgia which targeted integration with the West was willing to improve its relations in every field with EU candidate Turkey which was a powerful country in economic, political and military fields in the region and considered Turkey as a strategic partner, the report added.
(MS-AÖ) 18.03.2004