NEW YORK - Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel met on Sunday with his Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts in New York, where the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly took place.
Gurel met with his Kazakh counterpart Kasymzhomart Tokayev, his Azerbaijani counterpart Vilayat Quliyev, his Armenian counterpart Vartan Oskanyan and paid a courtesy visit to Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Following his meeting with Karzai, Gurel told reporters that Afghan President was pleased with Turkey's commanding International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Gurel said that they took up economic relations and contributions that Turkey could make to rebuilding of Kabul.
Diplomatic sources said that Karzai praised ISAF commander Hilmi Akin Zorlu and his discipline and asked Turkey to continue its contributions to Afghanistan after its ISAF command ended on December 20.
Sources quoted Karzai as saying that he was returning to his country by taking the support of all the world. Karzai asked Turkey to take part in rebuilding of Afghanistan and wanted Turkish businessmen to undertake hotel constructions in Kabul.
Karzai also praised voluntary efforts of Zorlu in formation of Afghan national army. He said that uniforms provided by the Turkish army were worn by all Afghan soldiers.
They wanted to make use of Turkey's experiences about banning hashish cultivation in order to put an end to Taliban's drug trafficking, Karzai noted.
During his first meeting with his Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts, Gurel took up security in the Caucasus and recent meetings aiming at solution of Upper Karabakh issue.
Quliyev made an evaluation of general security conditions in the Caucasus and informed Gurel about the Prague and Nahcevan meetings on the Minsk process about the solution of Upper Karabakh issue.
Diplomatic sources said that the Armenian side was pleased with the Minsk process while the Azerbaijanis seemed more cautious.
Oskanyan asked Turkey to open the railway which connected Armenia and Turkey to transportation and wanted Ankara to stop preventing Armenia from participating in some international organizations.
Gurel, who reviewed bilateral relations with his Kazakh counterpart, conveyed Turkey's sensitivities about the activities of the terrorist organization while Kazakh Foreign Minister Tokayev assured him about this issue.
Diplomatic sources said that the two countries expressed their will to further improve especially the economic relations and noted that participation of Kazakhstan in Baku-Ceyhan pipeline project was also brought onto the agenda.
Tokayev said that he would attend Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) meeting to take place in Turkey on October 15.
Gurel will meet with U.S. State Secretary Colin Powell, his Iraqi counterpart Naji Sabri, his Bulgarian counterpart Solomon Passi, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, European union (EU) Foreign Policy and Joint Defense Chief Javier Solana, his Jordanian counterpart Marwan Muasher, U.S. Department of State Undersecretary Marc Grossman and U.S. Assistant State Secretary Elizabeth Jones on Monday.