Turkey's strong ties

The Opinion page article "What Leverage in Central Asia?," April 8, makes selective use of quotations and misleading suggestions to imply that Turkey does not have significant influence in the new Turkic republics of Central Asia.

Obviously, today no leader of a country would openly admit to succumbing to any external pressures. Yet it would be absurd to deny that the close emotional, cultural, and linguistic ties between Turkey and the new republics have been translated into a strong Turkish impact on the current politics and economics of Central Asia. S. Daulet, West Palm Beach, Fla.

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