TURKISH PREMIER IN TASHKENT.

On an official visit to Uzbekistan,Turkish prime minister Ciller conferred with President Islam KarimovJuly 9 and 10 on expanding bilateral relations. The two signedagreements on simplifying visa procedures and setting up a jointintergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperationand discussed a possible Turkish loan to Uzbekistan. Karimov calledfor Turkish investment in his country. Jointly visiting Samarkand,Ciller and Karimov evoked the common Turkic roots of their andother Central Asian peoples. The two leaders stressed this Turkicidea both as a stimulant to regional cooperation aimed at reducingRussian influence, and as a counterweight to Islamic radicalism.

Turkish Foreign Minister in Turkmenistan.