Eurasia offers many opportunities to Turkey

Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek on Wednesday said that the Eurasian geography offered opportunities in political, economic and commercial fields. Speaking at the 16th Eurasia Economic Summit in Istanbul, Cemil Cicek said that "we must create new opportunities for peace, stability and development out of crisis". Eurasia has been revived in the past two decades, Cicek stressed. "The ties of language, religion and culture between the regional peoples have been rediscovered. Today, the Eurasian geography offers great opportunities in political, economic and commercial fields," Cicek said. "Eurasia has a population of more than 400 million people on a land of approximately 25 million square kilometers and has national income worth more than 4 trillion USD," Cicek noted. "Rich human and natural sources wait to be used in Eurasia. There are excellent potentials available in infrastructure, energy and transportation sectors. There are important opportunities present in science, culture, education, technology and tourism," Cicek stated. "Such opportunities must be put into use for the benefit of our countries. It is crucial for us to learn lessons from the clashes and divisions of the past and develop cooperation and solidarity," Cicek underlined. "Financial crisis in the global economy and turbulence in the region should not lead to fear. We must be able to create new opportunities for peace, stability and development from crisis," Cicek said. "Countries sharing the Eurasian geography have common responsibility for the security, stability and tranquility of the whole region," Cicek emphasized. "It is important for us to seek ways to contribute to the wealth of the world with production and ideas rather than merely being the consumers of products made by more developed nations. We have the necessary human resources, industrial infrastructure, knowledge and management experiences to make this possible," Cicek underlined. -"I believe our development will gain momentum"- "In my visits to regional countries, I noticed that the leaders and people are open to the development of cooperation," Cicek noted. "As individuals with responsibilities and parliamentarians, our most important task is to open the path for the private sector, create a business environment suitable for investments, do away with bureaucratic obstacles, fight against corruption, and facilitate tranquility within universal rules," Cicek said. "If we can achieve these, our development will gain momentum," Cicek stressed. "I have full confidence that if we focus on projects of peace, stability and solid cooperation, the Eurasian region would once again become a great center of attraction and civilization," Cicek noted. Reminding about Turkey's rising profile, political clout, economic dynamism and ability to speak the same language with many countries, Cicek stressed that Turkey was an economic and cultural crossroads connecting many regions. "The advantage stemming from our (geographic) position is now evident in a solid way. Turkey sits right at the heart of Eurasia and is at the center of energy transportation lines as well as transportation roads," Cicek noted. "Uniting Europe and Asia with energy and transportation corridors, helping the region regain stability, creating dynamics for economic development are the main pillars of our strategy regarding the region," Cicek stated. Turkey attaches importance to helping countries learn from Turkey's experiences just as we make use of other countries' experiences, Cicek also said.