TURKEY CONCERNED BY AJAR CHALLENGE TO TBILISI.

Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz visited Ajaria on June 26 in order to “get acquainted” with the situation in that autonomous republic of Georgia situated on the Turkish border. Yilmaz stated at a news conference in Batumi that Turkey “recognizes Georgia’s territorial integrity unconditionally” and “regards Georgia’s stability as no less important than Turkey’s own stability.” (Russian agencies, June 26) Turkey is evidently concerned over the Ajar leaders’ increasingly belligerent stance toward Tbilisi (see the Monitor, June 25-26). Trouble in Ajaria could fatally jeopardize the construction of export pipelines for Caspian oil via Georgia and Turkey.

QUADRIPARTITE UNION MARKS TIME.