Turkic 'brothers' hail pact

ISTANBUL - Defying Russian disapproval, Turkey and its five Turkic 'brother states' from the former Soviet Union wound up a two-day summit in Istanbul yesterday on an unexpectedly strong note of common purpose, writes Hugh Pope.

The six Presidents of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan published an 'Istanbul Declaration', vowing to deepen co-operation, in areas varying from oil and gas to a comparative dictionary of Turkic dialects. The call for greater economic and diplomatic co- operation will certainly meet disapproval in the Kremlin.