ANTALYA - A final statement of the 8th Summit of Heads of State of Turkish-Speaking Countries (held in southern city of Antalya) was released on Friday.
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer of Turkey, President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and President Kurmanbek Bakiev of Kyrgyzstan signed the final statement.
The statement underlined the importance of boosting cooperation among Turkish-Speaking countries and in Eurasia region.
It stressed that Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipeline were important projects at the international platform.
"Improvement in international transportation between Turkey and Turkish-Speaking countries will create new opportunities and contribute to economy of regional countries," it noted.
The final statement indicated that the Upper Karabakh issue, which was an obstruction to lasting stability in southern Caucasus and regional cooperation, should be solved through peaceful means in conformity with Azerbaijan`s independence and its territorial integrity.
It stated, "solution of the Upper Karabakh issue will boost peace, stability and prosperity in Eurasia."
"Heads of state (of Turkish-Speaking countries) underlined the importance of joint fight against terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, drug smuggling, weapon smuggling, human smuggling and other organized crimes," it stated.
The final statement noted that a global response must be given to terrorism which became a global threat, stressing that any kind of terrorism could not be justified.
Referring to the developments that took place in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon, the statement indicated that activities and initiatives aiming to ensure lasting peace and tranquility should be supported.
"Turkish-Speaking Countries should work hard to boost cooperation in the areas of economy, industry, agriculture, transportation, communication and tourism," the final statement underlined.
It said that Turkish-Speaking Countries should fully support activities and initiatives that aimed to strengthen historic and cultural ties among themselves.
Underlining the importance of Turkey`s EU accession process, the final statement indicated that Turkey`s EU accession would contribute to political, economic and social development in the region and strengthen ties between the region and the EU.
It stressed that a comprehensive solution should be found to the Cyprus issue under the roof of the UN, stating that heads of state of Turkish-Speaking Countries assisted the UN`s initiatives in regard to lifting of isolations imposed on Turkish Cypriot people.