Georgian President: B.T.C. Project Has Vital Importance For Georgia

TBILISI - Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project which would transport Azerbaijani oil to Western markets was of vital importance for Georgia, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Wednesday.
Saakashvili told A.A correspondent that special forces bound to Georgian Presidency would ensure the security of the pipeline.
Georgia had made use of all opportunities in order to conclude the project on time, Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili noted that Georgia would not cause any problems for the project and expressed hope that other parties of the project would also fulfil necessary conditions in order to complete the project on time.
Georgian President Saakashvili will come to Turkey on Thursday as the guest of Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
Saakashvili would have meetings in Turkish capital Ankara and commercial hub Istanbul during his three-day visit to Turkey.
An official welcome ceremony will be held at the Presidential Palace for Saakashvili, who will pay a visit to Turkey as the guest of Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, on Thursday.
Sezer and Saakashvili will hold a joint press conference following their tete-a-tete meeting and meetings between Turkish and Georgian delegations.
Saakashvili, who is expected to have meetings at Turkish parliament, will attend dinner hosted in his honor by Sezer.
On the second day of his visit to Turkey, Saakashvili will receive Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and then proceed from Ankara to Istanbul.
Issues concerning the two countries and common regional and international developments will be taken up during the visit of Saakashvili.
Exact date of Saakashvili's visit to Turkey could not be set due to escalating tension between Georgia and Adzharia.
Gul, who spoke to Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania by phone after settlement of the tension without occurrence of any unpleasant incidents, expressed Turkey's pleasure with the positive developments.
Gul and Zhvania had touched on the visit Saakashvili wanted to pay to Turkey in this phone talk.
(BRC) 19.05.2004