Turkish Foreign Minister visits Baku, Rounds up Consultations with South Caucasus Partners

Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem visited Baku on October 21, 2001 Turan reports. The visit followed-up the talks of the Georgian Foreign Minister Menagarishvili in Ankara on October 13 which drew on trilateral Georgian-Turkish-Azeri security partnership.

Turkish Foreign minister thus concluded the round of consultation with Turkey’s two South Caucasian partners Azerbaijan and Georgia. Radio Free Europe reports that Turkish and Azeri officials discussed the planned Baku-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum export pipelines for oil and gas respectively, and the situation in Georgia.

Interestingly, President Shevardnadze of Georgia went to visit his Armenian counterpart Kocharian on October 23. Alleviation of Armenian fears regarding involvement of Turkey in South Caucasus was, reportedly, one of the purposes of this meeting.