Gul: "BTK railway project will revive the silk road and contribute to peace and stability"

In Kars, President Abdullah Gul yesterday attended a groundbreaking ceremony to launch the construction of the Turkish leg of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, also known as the "Iron Silk Road." Azerbaijani President Ilham Alivey and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili were also in attendance. Addressing the ceremony, Gul said that the project would create a new economic cooperation zone in the Caucaus when it is completed, in parallel to developing good relations among Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and added, "This new zone will further develop in the future." Gül said there was strong political will behind the project and that it will not be weakened because it will benefit the peoples of the region. He said, "This project will also contribute to the peace and stability in the Caucaus." Gul also said that the project was open to all countries, provided that they also contribute to the peace and stability in the region. He said that the BTK railway project would revive the Silk Road, the ancient trade route that once connected East and West. Speaking at the ceremony, Saakashvili said that the project was not just a railway project but also had economic, cultural, historical dimensions. He said it will bring closer ties among the three countries. Also speaking during the ceremony, Aliyev said that the railway would strengthen the economic ties among the three countries, adding that Asian and European countries will also benefit from the project. Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım also addressed the ceremony and said the railway links from the region will extend into Europe with the completion of an ongoing rail tunnel project linking the European and Asian sides of Istanbul, and added thanks to this, the project will link the East and West from China to England, and it will create a civilization, friendship and brotherhood bridge between the East and West. The railway is expected to be operational in 2011 and carry about 18 million tons of freight and three million passengers per year in the medium term.