Turkish president notes significance of 'strong' regional, global cooperation amid pandemic Merve Aydogan and Gozde Bayar | 04.03.2021 ANKARA Turkey's president on Thursday stressed the importance of revitalization of the historic Silk Road, telling it would increase interaction between the East and West. Speaking at the 14th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Leaders Summit, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey's leadership in the revitalization of the historic Silk Road aiming at the Trans-Caspian East-West-Middle Corridor Initiative will increase the interaction between the East and West. "We welcome this corridor through launching regular flights to China and from China to Turkey,” he said, adding that work on the resumption of Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad freight train expeditions has reached its final stage.