Machine summary:
As early as 1990, when the Soviet regime was facing discontent in its western republics in eastern Europe, talks could be heard in Turkey about the prospects for that country's control over the Caucasus and Central Asia, to the point that, Turgut Ozal, the Turkish prime minister, had to repudiate a prediction by a member of his cabinet (Ergument Konukman) that "several states in the Soviet Union and China will be under Turkish flag in the next century".
<61 Anticipating major upheavals in the Caucasus and Central Asia, as early as fall of 1991 the government of Turkey dispatched a team of specialists to recommend proper policies towards the region and subsequently created a new section in the Turkish Foreign Ministry that would be in charge of Central Asian affairs.
These included extending of financial support for the republics, provision of credit and loans for Turkish private sector that would take on projects in Central Asia, infrastructure development, especially in the area of communications, offering scholarships in Central Asia and Azerbaijan to study in schools, colleges, and technical institutions in Turkey, founding of schools and Turkish cultural centers, establishment of air routes to the region, and broadcasting of regular TV programs via satellite.
1996 in Tehran: "The Islamic Republic of Iran is convinced that her security lies in preservation of peace and tranquillity in the region and it is in this context that her policies vis-a-vis the Persian Gulf, the neighboring countries, and Central Asia evolve.