ANKARA - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that they exchanged views with his Moldavian counterpart Vasile Tarlev about the problems of Gagauz people who constituted an important place in the relations between the two countries.
Erdogan and Vasile held a joint news conference after the interdelegationary meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, six agreements about various issues between the two countries were signed.
Addressing the joint news conference, Prime Minister Erdogan said that the visit of Tarlev had a special importance as it was the first visit paid in 12 years following Moldova's gaining its independence.
Erdogan stated that this meeting in which they discussed bilateral, regional and international issues in details was very useful, adding that they had a detailed, open and sincere meeting on all issues.
Erdogan said that they decided to further improve the relations between Turkey and Moldova, adding that ''the view that the cooperation between Turkey and Moldova will also contribute to regional stability and prosperity is shared by us. We reached a consensus of opinion that increasing the number of visits and contacts from the field of politics to economy would speed up our relations.''
Erdogan said during the meeting they stressed preservation of Moldova's territorial integrity, and solution of problems through dialogue.
Erdogan said, ''we also exchanged views regarded with problems of kinsmen Gagauz people, who are very important in relations of the two countries. I told him that Turkey would continue to expend support to Moldova and Gagauz Place, which is an inseparable part of Moldova. I also stated him that we expressed pleasure over the process to give a constitutional assurance to autonomy status of Gagauz people. We are pleased to see that this approach is welcomed by our guests.''
Erdogan said economic and trade relations, which he believed to have a very big potential between the two countries, were also discussed during the meeting.
Prime Minister Erdogan said efforts would be exerted to add momentum to relations in this respect, stating that the steps that should be taken reciprocally were taken up.
Erdogan said legal framework of the relations between Turkey and Moldova was completed to a great extent, and stressed that this framework was further strengthened with the six agreements that were signed recently.
Tarlev said that the useful and intensive meetings between the two friendly countries constituted an important opportunity to develop the relations between the two friendly countries.
Tarlev said that the visit was the first one paid at this level within a period of 12 years, adding that they discussed bilateral relations and the issue of further improving them.
Tarlev stated that Turkey was ranked among the first ten countries with which Moldova set up commercial relations, adding that there was a potential between the two countries which could not benefited much till today.
Tarlev said that there were important developments within the context of founding joint companies between Turkey and Moldova, adding that 224 companies were set up in Moldova to date including Turkish capital in them.
Tarlev said that there was the legal structure between the two countries needed by businessmen to develop trade, adding that the agreements signed the same day strengthened this legal basis.
Noting that Turkey and Moldova were on strategic places, Tarlev said that ''in this framework we reached consensus with Mr. Erdogan to broaden our relations to other issues.'' Tarlev said that they also referred to international problems in their contacts, adding that they took up issues of political discrimination, terrorism, fight with drug and weapons.
Tarlev stated that the two countries had common will to develop multilateral cooperation, adding that the relations would also continue at the level of international organizations.
At the end of the meeting, cultural exchange programme, cooperation protocol between justice ministries, agreement on cooperation in customs field and three agreements in agricultural field were signed between the two countries covering the years 2003-2005.
(Öª) 04.06.2003