Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Friday joined east European leaders at a summit in Azerbaijan aimed at promoting energy routes to Europe outside Russia's influence. Amid concerns in the region that US president-elect Barack Obama will see the Caucasus and eastern Europe as less of a priority, a senior US official told the summit that he expected Washington to stay engaged in the area. The Turkish president joined the leaders of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine for an energy meeting three months after Russia dropped bombs close to crucial energy routes through the Caucasus state of Georgia in a brief war. Amid renewed criticism of Russia by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Gul steered clear of inflammatory rhetoric towards Turkey's historical rival Moscow. However, Gul emphasized NATO member Turkey's desire for a greater diplomatic role in the region, after his government earlier proposed a new forum for cooperation in the South Caucasus. “The crisis which broke out last August in Georgia confirmed that unsolved conflicts in the region constitute a major threat from the perspective of security and stability,” he said. “Our idea is to transform the South Caucasus from a region that is known for its conflicts to a region that would set an example for cooperation,” Gul said. Turkey, a close US ally, has become a growing player in the Middle East and Caucasus energy trade. It has a long history of involvement in the Caucasus, as well as close linguistic and cultural links with Azerbaijan. Russia made clear during the August war in Georgia that it considers itself the primary strategic power in the Caucasus. Saakashvili condemned Russian attacks during the war over South Ossetia, which he said were meant to put in doubt the viability of energy routes through the Caucasus. “This was clearly meant to send a warning to Europe that no matter what, Russia wants to control Europe's energy supplies,” he said.
