Turkey has won a declaration of support from four countries close to the Caspian sea for the sea's oil reserves to be exported through a proposed new pipeline to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.

The declaration was signed in Ankara during celebrations to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Turkish republic by the presidents of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

The United States energy secretary, Bill Richardson, was also present to demonstrate American support for the project, which it is estimated will cost up to four-billion dollars.

The BBC Ankara correspondent says the declaration sends a strong political message to the oil companies, which are due to make a final recommendation next week on the main export route for Caspian oil.