TBILISI - Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who attended the ground-breaking ceremony held Wednesday for the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway project, said they have laid the foundation of a huge project which would revive the historical silk road.
"This railway will connect not only Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey to each other but also China and Britain via Kazakhstan," Gul told a joint press conference with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.
Gul said Kazakhstan and China pledged to transport 10 million tons of freight a year on this route, and this railway project would also contribute to passenger transportation.
"Maybe, this route is disadvantageous for passengers because it will pass under Istanbul Strait (Bogazici) and unfortunately, passengers will not be able to see the beauties of Bogazici," Gul said.
Gul also said he was pleased to carry out giant projects in the region with Georgia, and free trade deal and the agreement signed for the prevention of double taxation showed that the region has become a common economic area.
Gul reaffirmed that Turkey upholds Georgia's political and territorial integrity, and said economic cooperation would prevail in other countries too if the stability is ensured in the region.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said Wednesday they were thankful to Turkey for its contributions to Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway project. He said their all dreams would come true with this project.
At a joint press conference with Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Tbilisi, Saakashvili said the BTK project was realized thanks to decisive steps taken by Turkish President Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"That was very supportive for us and we are thankful to both Gul and Erdogan," Saakashvili said.
They were working on a free trade deal between three countries, Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan, Saakashvili said and added that many Georgians were employed in factories set up following mutual cooperation established between Turkey and Georgia.
Saakashvili also thanked Turkey for its efforts for the solution of regional issues.
On the other hand, Gul, who was asked about objections to Georgia's membership to NATO, said Balkans and Caucasia should take their place within European institutions.