Address By H.E. Süleyman Demirel, Presıdent Of The Republıc Of Turkey At The "Tale Of Three Seas" Conference
09.05.2000
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,
IT IS A GREAT PLEASURE FOR ME TO ADDRESS THE THIRD "TALE OF THREE SEAS" CONFERENCE HERE IN İSTANBUL. AT THE OUTSET, I WOULD ONCE AGAIN LIKE TO CONGRATULATE MR. YAVUZ ZEYTİNOĞLU ON BEHALF OF DEİK, MR. NİHAT GÖKYİĞİT ON BEHALF OF THE BLACK SEA BUSINESS COUNCIL, MR. DANIEL YERGIN AND MR. JOHN STANISLAW ON BEHALF OF THE CAMBRIDGE ENERGY ASSOCIATES FOR ALREADY TURNING THIS YEARLY EVENT INTO AN ESTABLISHED TRADITION. I WISH THEM CONTINUED SUCCESS IN THIS AND FUTURE CONFERENCES. THIS TALE, WHICH WE BEGAN TO TELL THREE YEARS AGO UNDER THE TITLE OF "TALE OF TWO SEAS", SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE TOLD.
I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO PAY A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO MR. NİHAT GÖKYİĞİT FOR HIS PASSIONATE EFFORTS TO CREATE THE BLACK SEA ORCHESTRA WHICH WE HEARD TODAY. THIS UNIQUE GROUP OF MUSICIANS COMING FROM 22 COUNTRIES AROUND THE CASPIAN, BLACK SEA AND THE MEDITERRANEAN, IS THE PERFECT PICTURE OF THE INHERENT HARMONY AMONG THE DIFFERENT CULTURES, LANGUAGES, PEOPLES OF THIS VAST GEOGRAPHY. THROUGH THEIR MUSIC THEY REMIND US THE AGE OLD SPIRIT OF LIVING AND WORKING TOGETHER THAT HAS SHAPED THE COMMON FATE OF THE DIFFERENT CIVILIZATIONS FOR CENTURIES IN THE GEOGRAPHIES SURROUNDING THESE THREE SEAS. I WARMLY APPLAUD THEM AND THEIR ART. MY DEAR FRIEND MR. NİHAT GÖKYİĞİT DESERVES OUR DEEP APPRECIATION FOR HIS NOBLE IDEA OF PUTTING TOGETHER THIS MAGNIFICENT ORCHESTRA AND FOR SPONSORING IT FOR ALL THESE YEARS.
THIS BRINGS ME TO THE SUB-TITLE OF THIS YEAR'S CONFERENCE, THAT IS, "EURASIAN ENERGY AT THE CROSSROADS. " INDEED, SINCE THE HISTORIC DOWNFALL OF THE SHAMEFUL BERLIN WALL AND SINCE THE BREAK-UP OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION WE HAVE BEEN AT A CROSSROADS IN EVERY SENSE. FOR THE PAST DECADE ALL OF US HAVE FACED A CHALLENGE: THE CHALLENGE OF MEETING OUR NEW AND COMMON DESTINY IN THE NEWLY EMERGED POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY, CALLED "EURASIA". IT HAS SINCE BEEN A QUESTION OF WHETHER, AS THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, WE COULD GRASP THE IMPORTANCE OF EURASIA FOR OUR COMMON FUTURE. I REMEMBER THE SPEECH I GAVE AS PRIME MINISTER AT THE DAVOS CONFERENCE BACK IN JANUARY 1992, WHERE I SAID: " IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE END OF THE COLD WAR A NEW POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY IS BEING BORN. IT SHOULD NOT BE A ZONE OF CONFLICT, NOR A NEW ZONE OF INFLUENCE. RATHER, IT SHOULD BECOME A ZONE OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY WHERE CONFLICT WILL BE REPLACED BY COOPERATION AND BY THE SPIRIT OF LIVING AND WORKING TOGETHER". THEREFORE, I COMMEND THE INITIATORS OF THIS CONFERENCE FOR THEIR TIMELY GRASPING OF THE IMPORTANCE OF EURASIA FOR THE FUTURE PEACE, PROSPERITY, SECURITY AND STABILITY OF THE VAST STRETCH OF GEOGRAPHY SPANNING FROM VANCOUVER TO VLADIVOSTOK.
IN THE LAST DECADE, THE COUNTRIES IN EURASIA HAVE BEEN FACING ENORMOUS HARDSHIPS IN THEIR EFFORTS TO TRANSFORM THEIR SOCIETIES AND ECONOMIES. ARE WE, AS THE COMMONWEALTH OF DEMOCRACIES WHICH ALSO EMBRACED THESE NEW COUNTRIES, BETTER OFF ALTOGETHER TODAY THAN A DECADE AGO ? THIS IS THE QUESTION WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ADDRESS WHEN ASSESSING THE OVERALL POLITICAL AND ECONOMICAL OUTLOOK OF EURASIA. I BELIEVE THAT THE ANSWER IS "YES". A DECADE AGO, THE PEOPLES OF THESE COUNTRIES LIVED UNDER CLOSED POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEMS WHICH KEPT THEM ISOLATED FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD. TODAY, THERE IS NO CORNER OF EURASIA THAT WE CANNOT REACH. FROM THE FREE TRADE ZONE IN KYRGIZISTAN AT THE BORDERS OF CHINA, TO THE OIL FIELDS IN THE CASPIAN BASIN, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS WORKING HAND-IN-HAND WITH THEIR COUNTERPARTS, INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF THESE COUNTRIES. A DECADE AGO, THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF THESE COUNTRIES HAD NO MEANS TO LEARN ABOUT THE WORLD THEY LIVE IN. TODAY, THE INTERNET CONNECTS THEM WITH THE GLOBAL NETWORK OF PEOPLE COMMUNICATING AND TRADING WITH ONE ANOTHER THROUGH FIBER-OPTIC. A DECADE AGO COOPERATION MEANT SUBORDINATION. TODAY, REGIONAL COOPERATION MECHANISMS SUCH AS THE BLACK SEA ECONOMIC COOPERATION, BRING THESE COUNTRIES CLOSER AROUND CONCRETE PROJECTS AND OBJECTIVES. AND, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, A DECADE AGO THE NATURAL RESOURCES OF EURASIA REMAINED EITHER UNDERGROUND OR UNDER CONTROL. TODAY, NEW ENERGY PIPELINES ARE BEING BUILT TO TURN THESE RESOURCES INTO LASTING AND SECURE SOURCES OF INCOME.
SINCE WE LAST MET HERE, MOMENTOUS DEVELOPMENTS HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN THIS REGARD. ON 18 NOVEMBER 1999, TOGETHER WITH THE PRESIDENTS OF AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA, TURKMENISTAN AND KAZAKSTAN WE SIGNED THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENTS ON THE BAKU-TBILISI-CEYHAN OIL PIPELINE AND THE TRANS-CASPIAN NATURAL GAS PIPELINE. PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNED BOTH AGREEMENTS AS WITNESS IN AN EQUALLY HISTORIC GESTURE. AS I SAID ON THAT OCCASION, "AS WE DISPLAYED OUR WILL TOWARDS TRANSPORTING THE OIL AND GAS RESOURCES OF THE CASPIAN BASIN IN A SAFE, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY MANNER WE WERE AT THE SAME TIME RESPONDING TO THE CALL OF HISTORY." BY THAT ACT, WE WERE NOT ONLY CONNECTING THE CASPIAN SEA TO THE MEDITERRANEAN , BUT ALSO TYING OUR DESTINIES TOGETHER. I BELIEVE THAT THE AGREEMENTS THAT WE SIGNED ON THAT DAY WILL SERVE PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN THE ENTIRE EURASIA. AFTER THAT GIANT STEP, ANOTHER MILESTONE HAS BEEN THE SIGNING OF THE GEORGIA HOST GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT IN WASHINGTON ON APRIL 28 OF THIS YEAR. AS PRESIDENT CLINTON SAID ON THAT OCCASION, BY THAT ACTION AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA AND TURKEY HAVE SHOWN ONCE AGAIN THEIR COMMITMENT TO BUILDING REGIONAL COOPERATION, PEACEFUL RELATIONS AND BETTER LIVES FOR ALL THEIR PEOPLES. AND, TODAY, MOMENTS FROM NOW, WE WILL WITNESS ANOTHER IMPORTANT EVENT HERE IN THIS SETTING. REPRESENTATIVES OF THE THREE COUNTRIES WILL SIGN THE MODIFIED AZERBAIJAN HOST GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT. ALL THESE ACHIEVEMENTS COMPLETE OUR LEGAL WORK AND BRING THE BAKU-CEYHAN PROJECT CLOSER TO BE REALIZED. I WOULD LIKE TO PAY A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO PRESIDENTS HAYDAR ALIYEV AND EDUARD SHEVARDNADZE FOR THEIR DETERMINATION AND FARSIGHT IN BUILDING OUR COMMON FUTURE. THEY ARE AMONG THE TRUE PIONEERS OF THE PROCESS THAT BROUGHT ABOUT TODAY'S RESULT. I ALSO WANT TO EXPRESS MY DEEP APPRECIATION FOR PRESIDENTS TURKMENBAŞI AND NAZARBAYEV FOR THEIR GREAT SUPPORT AND COMMITMENT TO THE PIPELINE PROJECTS WE HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN. LET ME ALSO EXPRESS MY DEEP GRATITUDE TO PRESIDENT CLINTON AND THE MEMBERS OF HIS ADMINISTRATION. RIGHT FROM THE OUTSET OF HIS PRESIDENCY, PRESIDENT CLINTON FORESAW THE CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE OF EURASIA'S PEACE, PROSPERITY AND STABILITY FOR THE GLOBAL PEACE. OUR JOB IS NOT DONE. NOW WE HAVE TO BUILD THESE PIPELINES. BECAUSE, THE MORE TIME WE WASTE, THE MORE WE JEOPARDIZE THE WELL-BEING OF THE PEOPLE OF ISTANBUL AND THE SAFETY OF THE TURKISH STRAITS. İSTANBUL AND THE BOSPHORUS WHICH ARE THE COMMON HERITAGE OF HUMANITY WILL BE SPARED A NIGHTMARE WITH THE REALIZATION OF THESE PROJECTS. LET THERE BE NO MISTAKE: WE CANNOT AND WE WILL NOT LET OUR STRAITS TURN INTO NATURAL PIPELINES.
THE UNDERLYING CONCEPT OF THESE PIPELINES IS TO ENSURE ACCESS TO WORLD MARKETS FOR THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION, WHILE HELPING DIVERSIFY SOURCES OF ENERGY SUPPLY FOR GLOBAL MARKETS. THESE PROJECTS WILL MAKE SURE FOR THESE COUNTRIES TO BE ABLE TO RELY ON LONG TERM INCOME FOR THEIR DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS. HOWEVER, WE FIRST NEED A PEACEFUL, STABLE AND PROSPEROUS EURASIA. IN THIS RESPECT, WE ARE READY AND WILLING TO COOPERATE IN A SPIRIT OF PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR FRIEND AND NEIGHBOUR RUSSIA TOWARDS TURNING THIS OBJECTIVE INTO A REALITY. HOWEVER, WE ARE STILL FAR FROM TRUE PEACE IN CERTAIN CORNERS OF EURASIA. THE CAUCASUS REMAINS TO BE A REGION OF CONFLICT AND UNSETTLED PROBLEMS.
IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAS FOCUSED ITS ATTENTION MORE ON TWO OF THE THREE PROBLEMS WHICH I CONSIDER AS THE MOST IMPORTANT UNRESOLVED ISSUES IN THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF EUROPE: THE MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE. AS WE SEEM TO HAVE ACHIEVED CERTAIN PROGRESS TOWARDS LASTING PEACE AND STABILITY IN THOSE TWO REGIONS, I BELIEVE THAT WE NOW HAVE TO TURN OUR ATTENTION CLOSER TO THE CAUCASUS. I MADE AN APPEAL AT THE OSCE SUMMIT BACK IN NOVEMBER 1999 IN ISTANBUL TO DEVELOP A MULTILATERAL COOPERATION SCHEME IN THE CAUCASUS, WHICH WOULD BE CALLED "THE CAUCASUS STABILITY PACT." I REPEATED MY APPEAL IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR IN A LETTER TO THE LEADERS OF THE INTERESTED COUNTRIES, INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA. ACCORDING TO THIS PROPOSAL, THIS PACT WOULD BRING THE THREE SOUTHERN CAUCASUS COUNTRIES TOGETHER WITH THEIR NEIGHBOURS TURKEY, RUSSIA AND UKRAINE, AND WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF THE UNITED STATES, FRANCE, GERMANY, UNITED KINGDOM, OTHER INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, THE EUROPEAN UNION ITSELF AND LEADING INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS THE IMF, WORLD BANK AND EBRD. SUCH A FORUM SHOULD MAINLY BE BUILT ON THE OSCE PRINCIPLES AND WOULD DRAW ON WHAT WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVED IN THE BALKAN REGION BY MEANS OF FINALIZING THE STABILITY PACT FOR SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS FORUM SHOULD BE CREATING A NEW ATMOSPHERE OF COOPERATION BASED ON TANGIBLE RECONSTRUCTION AND REHABILITATION PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY A FINANCIAL AND MATERIAL COMMITMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. NATURALLY, THE ULTIMATE SUCCESS OF SUCH AN INITIATIVE WOULD DEPEND ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A LASTING AND VIABLE PEACE IN THE REGION. THUS, STEPS IN THIS DIRECTION SHOULD PRECEED THE FORMATION OF SUCH A REGIONAL FORUM. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THAT THE CONFLICTING PARTIES IN THE REGION HAVE TO BE OFFERED A NEW PERSPECTIVE OF PEACE DIVIDEND IN ORDER TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO TAKE BOLD STEPS TOWARDS PEACE.
ALTHOUGH WE ALL AGREE THAT THE PAST CONDITIONS AND THE CURRENT SITUATION IN THE CAUCASUS COULD HARDLY BE COMPARABLE TO WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED IN SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE, I AM CONFIDENT THAT OUR SUCCESSFUL ACCOMPLISHMENTS THERE COULD BE A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR THE CAUCASUS. FOR, TODAY, AT THE BEGINNING OF NEW MILLENNIUM PEACE AND PROSPERITY OF A PARTICULAR REGION MUST BE SEEN AS THE PEACE AND PROSPERITY OF ALL. AND, OUR PEOPLES LIVING AROUND THE THREE BEAUTIFUL SEAS DREAM THE BETTER DAYS OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY. THIS IS THE CHALLENGE BEFORE ALL OF US.
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,
ON THAT NOTE, LET ME REPEAT WHAT I SAID AT THE END OF THE SPEECH I MADE ON THE SIGNING OF THE BAKU-CEYHAN AGREEMENT BACK IN NOVEMBER 1999:
"LOOKING AT EUROPE AND ASIA STRETCHING IN BOTH SIDES OF THE BOSPHORUS I CAN CLEARLY SEE THE WORLD OF THE 21ST CENTURY THAT IS FULL OF HOPE. IT WILL BE A WORLD OF GLOBAL COOPERATION; A WORLD WHERE RIVALRY WILL BE REPLACED BY THE SPIRIT OF COMMON DESTINY AND SOLIDARITY; A WORLD WHERE KNOWLEDGE WILL CONSTITUTE THE SOLID BASIS OF COMMON HAPPINESS OF HUMANITY; A WORLD WHERE HAPPINESS FOR ONE WILL MEAN HAPPINESS FOR ALL. ON THE CONTRARY, IT WILL BE A WORLD WHERE EVERY ONE OF US WILL BE A STAKEHOLDER IN THE DESTINY OF OTHERS AND WHERE HEGEMONIC REFLEXES WILL BE REPLACED BY THE SPIRIT OF SOLIDARITY AND COOPERATION. "
WHEREVER I MAY BE IN THE FUTURE, I WILL CONTINUE THE JOURNEY WE BEGAN A DECADE AGO TOWARDS MAKING OUR NOBLE IDEALS OF LASTING PEACE, STABILITY AND PROSPERITY BECOME A REALITY ALL OVER EURASIA.
THANK YOU.
IT IS A GREAT PLEASURE FOR ME TO ADDRESS THE THIRD "TALE OF THREE SEAS" CONFERENCE HERE IN İSTANBUL. AT THE OUTSET, I WOULD ONCE AGAIN LIKE TO CONGRATULATE MR. YAVUZ ZEYTİNOĞLU ON BEHALF OF DEİK, MR. NİHAT GÖKYİĞİT ON BEHALF OF THE BLACK SEA BUSINESS COUNCIL, MR. DANIEL YERGIN AND MR. JOHN STANISLAW ON BEHALF OF THE CAMBRIDGE ENERGY ASSOCIATES FOR ALREADY TURNING THIS YEARLY EVENT INTO AN ESTABLISHED TRADITION. I WISH THEM CONTINUED SUCCESS IN THIS AND FUTURE CONFERENCES. THIS TALE, WHICH WE BEGAN TO TELL THREE YEARS AGO UNDER THE TITLE OF "TALE OF TWO SEAS", SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE TOLD.
I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO PAY A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO MR. NİHAT GÖKYİĞİT FOR HIS PASSIONATE EFFORTS TO CREATE THE BLACK SEA ORCHESTRA WHICH WE HEARD TODAY. THIS UNIQUE GROUP OF MUSICIANS COMING FROM 22 COUNTRIES AROUND THE CASPIAN, BLACK SEA AND THE MEDITERRANEAN, IS THE PERFECT PICTURE OF THE INHERENT HARMONY AMONG THE DIFFERENT CULTURES, LANGUAGES, PEOPLES OF THIS VAST GEOGRAPHY. THROUGH THEIR MUSIC THEY REMIND US THE AGE OLD SPIRIT OF LIVING AND WORKING TOGETHER THAT HAS SHAPED THE COMMON FATE OF THE DIFFERENT CIVILIZATIONS FOR CENTURIES IN THE GEOGRAPHIES SURROUNDING THESE THREE SEAS. I WARMLY APPLAUD THEM AND THEIR ART. MY DEAR FRIEND MR. NİHAT GÖKYİĞİT DESERVES OUR DEEP APPRECIATION FOR HIS NOBLE IDEA OF PUTTING TOGETHER THIS MAGNIFICENT ORCHESTRA AND FOR SPONSORING IT FOR ALL THESE YEARS.
THIS BRINGS ME TO THE SUB-TITLE OF THIS YEAR'S CONFERENCE, THAT IS, "EURASIAN ENERGY AT THE CROSSROADS. " INDEED, SINCE THE HISTORIC DOWNFALL OF THE SHAMEFUL BERLIN WALL AND SINCE THE BREAK-UP OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION WE HAVE BEEN AT A CROSSROADS IN EVERY SENSE. FOR THE PAST DECADE ALL OF US HAVE FACED A CHALLENGE: THE CHALLENGE OF MEETING OUR NEW AND COMMON DESTINY IN THE NEWLY EMERGED POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY, CALLED "EURASIA". IT HAS SINCE BEEN A QUESTION OF WHETHER, AS THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, WE COULD GRASP THE IMPORTANCE OF EURASIA FOR OUR COMMON FUTURE. I REMEMBER THE SPEECH I GAVE AS PRIME MINISTER AT THE DAVOS CONFERENCE BACK IN JANUARY 1992, WHERE I SAID: " IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE END OF THE COLD WAR A NEW POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY IS BEING BORN. IT SHOULD NOT BE A ZONE OF CONFLICT, NOR A NEW ZONE OF INFLUENCE. RATHER, IT SHOULD BECOME A ZONE OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY WHERE CONFLICT WILL BE REPLACED BY COOPERATION AND BY THE SPIRIT OF LIVING AND WORKING TOGETHER". THEREFORE, I COMMEND THE INITIATORS OF THIS CONFERENCE FOR THEIR TIMELY GRASPING OF THE IMPORTANCE OF EURASIA FOR THE FUTURE PEACE, PROSPERITY, SECURITY AND STABILITY OF THE VAST STRETCH OF GEOGRAPHY SPANNING FROM VANCOUVER TO VLADIVOSTOK.
IN THE LAST DECADE, THE COUNTRIES IN EURASIA HAVE BEEN FACING ENORMOUS HARDSHIPS IN THEIR EFFORTS TO TRANSFORM THEIR SOCIETIES AND ECONOMIES. ARE WE, AS THE COMMONWEALTH OF DEMOCRACIES WHICH ALSO EMBRACED THESE NEW COUNTRIES, BETTER OFF ALTOGETHER TODAY THAN A DECADE AGO ? THIS IS THE QUESTION WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ADDRESS WHEN ASSESSING THE OVERALL POLITICAL AND ECONOMICAL OUTLOOK OF EURASIA. I BELIEVE THAT THE ANSWER IS "YES". A DECADE AGO, THE PEOPLES OF THESE COUNTRIES LIVED UNDER CLOSED POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEMS WHICH KEPT THEM ISOLATED FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD. TODAY, THERE IS NO CORNER OF EURASIA THAT WE CANNOT REACH. FROM THE FREE TRADE ZONE IN KYRGIZISTAN AT THE BORDERS OF CHINA, TO THE OIL FIELDS IN THE CASPIAN BASIN, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS WORKING HAND-IN-HAND WITH THEIR COUNTERPARTS, INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF THESE COUNTRIES. A DECADE AGO, THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF THESE COUNTRIES HAD NO MEANS TO LEARN ABOUT THE WORLD THEY LIVE IN. TODAY, THE INTERNET CONNECTS THEM WITH THE GLOBAL NETWORK OF PEOPLE COMMUNICATING AND TRADING WITH ONE ANOTHER THROUGH FIBER-OPTIC. A DECADE AGO COOPERATION MEANT SUBORDINATION. TODAY, REGIONAL COOPERATION MECHANISMS SUCH AS THE BLACK SEA ECONOMIC COOPERATION, BRING THESE COUNTRIES CLOSER AROUND CONCRETE PROJECTS AND OBJECTIVES. AND, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, A DECADE AGO THE NATURAL RESOURCES OF EURASIA REMAINED EITHER UNDERGROUND OR UNDER CONTROL. TODAY, NEW ENERGY PIPELINES ARE BEING BUILT TO TURN THESE RESOURCES INTO LASTING AND SECURE SOURCES OF INCOME.
SINCE WE LAST MET HERE, MOMENTOUS DEVELOPMENTS HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN THIS REGARD. ON 18 NOVEMBER 1999, TOGETHER WITH THE PRESIDENTS OF AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA, TURKMENISTAN AND KAZAKSTAN WE SIGNED THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENTS ON THE BAKU-TBILISI-CEYHAN OIL PIPELINE AND THE TRANS-CASPIAN NATURAL GAS PIPELINE. PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNED BOTH AGREEMENTS AS WITNESS IN AN EQUALLY HISTORIC GESTURE. AS I SAID ON THAT OCCASION, "AS WE DISPLAYED OUR WILL TOWARDS TRANSPORTING THE OIL AND GAS RESOURCES OF THE CASPIAN BASIN IN A SAFE, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY MANNER WE WERE AT THE SAME TIME RESPONDING TO THE CALL OF HISTORY." BY THAT ACT, WE WERE NOT ONLY CONNECTING THE CASPIAN SEA TO THE MEDITERRANEAN , BUT ALSO TYING OUR DESTINIES TOGETHER. I BELIEVE THAT THE AGREEMENTS THAT WE SIGNED ON THAT DAY WILL SERVE PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN THE ENTIRE EURASIA. AFTER THAT GIANT STEP, ANOTHER MILESTONE HAS BEEN THE SIGNING OF THE GEORGIA HOST GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT IN WASHINGTON ON APRIL 28 OF THIS YEAR. AS PRESIDENT CLINTON SAID ON THAT OCCASION, BY THAT ACTION AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA AND TURKEY HAVE SHOWN ONCE AGAIN THEIR COMMITMENT TO BUILDING REGIONAL COOPERATION, PEACEFUL RELATIONS AND BETTER LIVES FOR ALL THEIR PEOPLES. AND, TODAY, MOMENTS FROM NOW, WE WILL WITNESS ANOTHER IMPORTANT EVENT HERE IN THIS SETTING. REPRESENTATIVES OF THE THREE COUNTRIES WILL SIGN THE MODIFIED AZERBAIJAN HOST GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT. ALL THESE ACHIEVEMENTS COMPLETE OUR LEGAL WORK AND BRING THE BAKU-CEYHAN PROJECT CLOSER TO BE REALIZED. I WOULD LIKE TO PAY A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO PRESIDENTS HAYDAR ALIYEV AND EDUARD SHEVARDNADZE FOR THEIR DETERMINATION AND FARSIGHT IN BUILDING OUR COMMON FUTURE. THEY ARE AMONG THE TRUE PIONEERS OF THE PROCESS THAT BROUGHT ABOUT TODAY'S RESULT. I ALSO WANT TO EXPRESS MY DEEP APPRECIATION FOR PRESIDENTS TURKMENBAŞI AND NAZARBAYEV FOR THEIR GREAT SUPPORT AND COMMITMENT TO THE PIPELINE PROJECTS WE HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN. LET ME ALSO EXPRESS MY DEEP GRATITUDE TO PRESIDENT CLINTON AND THE MEMBERS OF HIS ADMINISTRATION. RIGHT FROM THE OUTSET OF HIS PRESIDENCY, PRESIDENT CLINTON FORESAW THE CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE OF EURASIA'S PEACE, PROSPERITY AND STABILITY FOR THE GLOBAL PEACE. OUR JOB IS NOT DONE. NOW WE HAVE TO BUILD THESE PIPELINES. BECAUSE, THE MORE TIME WE WASTE, THE MORE WE JEOPARDIZE THE WELL-BEING OF THE PEOPLE OF ISTANBUL AND THE SAFETY OF THE TURKISH STRAITS. İSTANBUL AND THE BOSPHORUS WHICH ARE THE COMMON HERITAGE OF HUMANITY WILL BE SPARED A NIGHTMARE WITH THE REALIZATION OF THESE PROJECTS. LET THERE BE NO MISTAKE: WE CANNOT AND WE WILL NOT LET OUR STRAITS TURN INTO NATURAL PIPELINES.
THE UNDERLYING CONCEPT OF THESE PIPELINES IS TO ENSURE ACCESS TO WORLD MARKETS FOR THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION, WHILE HELPING DIVERSIFY SOURCES OF ENERGY SUPPLY FOR GLOBAL MARKETS. THESE PROJECTS WILL MAKE SURE FOR THESE COUNTRIES TO BE ABLE TO RELY ON LONG TERM INCOME FOR THEIR DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS. HOWEVER, WE FIRST NEED A PEACEFUL, STABLE AND PROSPEROUS EURASIA. IN THIS RESPECT, WE ARE READY AND WILLING TO COOPERATE IN A SPIRIT OF PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR FRIEND AND NEIGHBOUR RUSSIA TOWARDS TURNING THIS OBJECTIVE INTO A REALITY. HOWEVER, WE ARE STILL FAR FROM TRUE PEACE IN CERTAIN CORNERS OF EURASIA. THE CAUCASUS REMAINS TO BE A REGION OF CONFLICT AND UNSETTLED PROBLEMS.
IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAS FOCUSED ITS ATTENTION MORE ON TWO OF THE THREE PROBLEMS WHICH I CONSIDER AS THE MOST IMPORTANT UNRESOLVED ISSUES IN THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF EUROPE: THE MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE. AS WE SEEM TO HAVE ACHIEVED CERTAIN PROGRESS TOWARDS LASTING PEACE AND STABILITY IN THOSE TWO REGIONS, I BELIEVE THAT WE NOW HAVE TO TURN OUR ATTENTION CLOSER TO THE CAUCASUS. I MADE AN APPEAL AT THE OSCE SUMMIT BACK IN NOVEMBER 1999 IN ISTANBUL TO DEVELOP A MULTILATERAL COOPERATION SCHEME IN THE CAUCASUS, WHICH WOULD BE CALLED "THE CAUCASUS STABILITY PACT." I REPEATED MY APPEAL IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR IN A LETTER TO THE LEADERS OF THE INTERESTED COUNTRIES, INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA. ACCORDING TO THIS PROPOSAL, THIS PACT WOULD BRING THE THREE SOUTHERN CAUCASUS COUNTRIES TOGETHER WITH THEIR NEIGHBOURS TURKEY, RUSSIA AND UKRAINE, AND WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF THE UNITED STATES, FRANCE, GERMANY, UNITED KINGDOM, OTHER INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, THE EUROPEAN UNION ITSELF AND LEADING INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS THE IMF, WORLD BANK AND EBRD. SUCH A FORUM SHOULD MAINLY BE BUILT ON THE OSCE PRINCIPLES AND WOULD DRAW ON WHAT WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVED IN THE BALKAN REGION BY MEANS OF FINALIZING THE STABILITY PACT FOR SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS FORUM SHOULD BE CREATING A NEW ATMOSPHERE OF COOPERATION BASED ON TANGIBLE RECONSTRUCTION AND REHABILITATION PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY A FINANCIAL AND MATERIAL COMMITMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. NATURALLY, THE ULTIMATE SUCCESS OF SUCH AN INITIATIVE WOULD DEPEND ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A LASTING AND VIABLE PEACE IN THE REGION. THUS, STEPS IN THIS DIRECTION SHOULD PRECEED THE FORMATION OF SUCH A REGIONAL FORUM. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THAT THE CONFLICTING PARTIES IN THE REGION HAVE TO BE OFFERED A NEW PERSPECTIVE OF PEACE DIVIDEND IN ORDER TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO TAKE BOLD STEPS TOWARDS PEACE.
ALTHOUGH WE ALL AGREE THAT THE PAST CONDITIONS AND THE CURRENT SITUATION IN THE CAUCASUS COULD HARDLY BE COMPARABLE TO WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED IN SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE, I AM CONFIDENT THAT OUR SUCCESSFUL ACCOMPLISHMENTS THERE COULD BE A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR THE CAUCASUS. FOR, TODAY, AT THE BEGINNING OF NEW MILLENNIUM PEACE AND PROSPERITY OF A PARTICULAR REGION MUST BE SEEN AS THE PEACE AND PROSPERITY OF ALL. AND, OUR PEOPLES LIVING AROUND THE THREE BEAUTIFUL SEAS DREAM THE BETTER DAYS OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY. THIS IS THE CHALLENGE BEFORE ALL OF US.
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,
ON THAT NOTE, LET ME REPEAT WHAT I SAID AT THE END OF THE SPEECH I MADE ON THE SIGNING OF THE BAKU-CEYHAN AGREEMENT BACK IN NOVEMBER 1999:
"LOOKING AT EUROPE AND ASIA STRETCHING IN BOTH SIDES OF THE BOSPHORUS I CAN CLEARLY SEE THE WORLD OF THE 21ST CENTURY THAT IS FULL OF HOPE. IT WILL BE A WORLD OF GLOBAL COOPERATION; A WORLD WHERE RIVALRY WILL BE REPLACED BY THE SPIRIT OF COMMON DESTINY AND SOLIDARITY; A WORLD WHERE KNOWLEDGE WILL CONSTITUTE THE SOLID BASIS OF COMMON HAPPINESS OF HUMANITY; A WORLD WHERE HAPPINESS FOR ONE WILL MEAN HAPPINESS FOR ALL. ON THE CONTRARY, IT WILL BE A WORLD WHERE EVERY ONE OF US WILL BE A STAKEHOLDER IN THE DESTINY OF OTHERS AND WHERE HEGEMONIC REFLEXES WILL BE REPLACED BY THE SPIRIT OF SOLIDARITY AND COOPERATION. "
WHEREVER I MAY BE IN THE FUTURE, I WILL CONTINUE THE JOURNEY WE BEGAN A DECADE AGO TOWARDS MAKING OUR NOBLE IDEALS OF LASTING PEACE, STABILITY AND PROSPERITY BECOME A REALITY ALL OVER EURASIA.
THANK YOU.
