KARIMOV SAYS HE FOLLOWS ATATURK’S MODEL.

According to President Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan "follows Ataturk’s precepts in developing as a secular independent state." The Uzbek state "honors our ancestors’ religion as a factor in the spiritual development of the nation, along the model set by Ataturk," Karimov declared at a joint briefing with Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz in Tashkent. The briefing was conducted in Turkish and Uzbek after the two leaders pointed out that the two languages arc close enough to dispense with Russian as a means of communication. Yilmaz is undertaking an official visit to Uzbekistan focusing on Central Asia-Europe transit projects. (International agencies, April 13) — VS

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