Turkey Works For Positive Changes In Its Region, Erdogan Says

OSLO - ''Turkey is working to encourage positive changes in its region from the Black Sea to the Caucasus, and from the Mediterranean to Afghanistan'', Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.
Addressing the Nobel Institute in Norwegian capital of Oslo, Erdogan said that Turkey aimed to create a climate based on cooperation, instead of tension and clashes.
Listing Turkey's foreign policy priorities as European Union (EU) membership bid, NATO alliance and relations with the United States, Erdogan said that the multi-dimensional foreign policy of Turkey also covered Eurasia.
Erdogan said, ''after Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan crude oil pipeline is launched this year and similar projects are completed, Turkey will become an important center for energy and transportation networks.''

-AIM IS TO MAKE TURKEY A COUNTRY SOLVING PROBLEMS-

Noting that Turkey had intensified its efforts to improve relations with neighboring countries in recent years, Erdogan said, ''our aim is to end problems and become a country able to solve problems. The current situation of our relations with Greece and Syria is a good example of this. Another example, indicating our approach to solve problems, is our initiative and will about the Cyprus issue, which is waiting to be solved for a long time.''

-WE ARE WORKING FOR STABILITY IN IRAQ-

Touching on the Middle East, Erdogan said that developments in Iraq should be handled first when Middle East was under discussion, and went on saying, ''despite several problems and shortcomings, January 30th elections have indicated a significant transition towards democracy. These elections have shown that Iraqi people are ready for change, and willing to adopt democratic goals and principles.''
Erdogan said, ''on the other hand, an important part of the Iraqi people remained outside this process. We are ready to do whatever we can to settle stability in this country. We are saying that there is need to prepare a constitution for the establishment of stability in Iraq, safeguard of territorial integrity and unity of the country, and prevention of hegemony of one ethnic or religious group over the other/s. We have also stated that the fact that all underground resources of Iraq should belong to all the Iraqi people.''
''We also say that nobody has the right to jeopardize Iraq's future and provoke incidents that will result in continuation of the tension. We will continue to work for a democratic, pacific and stable Iraq which will be integrated with the international community,'' added Erdogan.