Sezer In Romania

SEZER: I WISH THAT THIS DIALOGUE WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE TO ALL COUNTRIES AROUND US
CONSTANTA - President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said on Wednesday that their aim with the Turkish-Bulgarian-Romanian Presidents Summit was to contribute to tranquility, stability and peace in the region by consolidating their cooperation on the basis of common interests and to add new dimensions to cooperation among the three countries, adding, ''I wish that this dialogue would be an example to all countries around us.''
The Sixth Tripartite Summit Meeting of the presidents of Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria in Constanta, Romania ended.
Later, Sezer and his Romanian and Bulgarian counterparts Ion Iliescu and Georgi Purvanov held a joint press conference.
Sezer said that he believed such meetings would add a new dimension to joint efforts for increase in living standards of peoples by strengthening solidarity and cooperation among the three countries and contribute to peace and stability in the whole region.
Recalling that the sixth meeting had been held, Sezer said, ''our meetings have become traditional and had the character of a forum which allows us to exchange our opinions in a way of contributing to stability and security in our region. Besides, concrete results which went beyond exchange of opinion, have been gotten under the documents we have signed in last six years.''
Stating that this year's meeting was a well-timed and beneficial meeting as it had allowed them to discuss important regional and international issues concerning the three countries and to exchange opinion on those issues, Sezer said, ''meanwhile, also alliance dimension would be added soon in our relations since our previous meeting. And we had the opportunity of discussing new responsibilities and opportunities that this dimension will bring along to development of our cooperation.''
''During the bilateral and tripartite meetings we held here, we assessed the developments happened in Europe following the Prague and Copenhagen summits, and we reached an agreement on necessity of holding frequent consultations among our three countries in EU's integration process. Besides, we discussed international developments after Iraq war,'' the President stated.
''Our aim with this summit is to contribute to tranquility, stability and peace in the region by consolidating their cooperation on basis of common interests and to add new dimensions to cooperation among the three countries. I wish that this dialogue would be an example to all countries around us,'' President Sezer added.
ILIESCU: ''WE ARE POSITIVE ABOUT GREECE'S PARTICIPATION IN THIS SUMMIT''
Iliescu said that they discussed regional issues and relations among the three countries.
Stressing that confidence of the three countries in each other had increased as a result of the summit meetings, Iliescu said, ''we learned to overcome problems in course of time.''
Noting that they took up fight against terrorism and illicit drug and human smuggling and they had underlined the importance of this fight, Iliescu said that they had also evaluated the three countries' European Union (EU) membership and Romania's and Bulgaria's NATO membership.
Noting that they had also discussed developments in Iraq, Iliescu said that the three countries supported settlement of stability in the Middle East.
Stating that there was a need for a more commonsensical solution to Israel-Palestine conflict, Iliescu said that solution of the problem on the basis of the U.S. road map was important.
Iliescu reiterated Romania's support to Turkey's EU membership.
Stating that they had focused on improvement of economic cooperation among the three countries, Iliescu said, ''we have taken important steps for our nations.''
PURVANOV: ''IT WAS A VERY BENEFICIAL MEETING''
Purvanov said that Bulgaria supported Turkey's European Union (EU) membership.
Noting that works on the summit meeting which foresaw cooperation among Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania should be reviewed, Purvanov said, ''it is very important to adapt this initiative to changing conditions. Many things have changed since 1997 when this dialogue started.''
Purvanov added that there was a compromise on the proposal for convention of businessmen in parallel to the summit meeting.
When a Bulgarian journalist asked the views of President Sezer about the problems seen in implementing the agreement dated 1998 on Turkey's purchasing electricity from Bulgaria, President Sezer said that ''the contract about Turkey's purchasing electricity from Bulgaria was signed in 1998 and it was implemented for five years. The issue came to agenda during my bilateral contact with Mr. Purvanov. The contract regulates on a balanced way the rights and obligations of the two countries. I believe that the problem will be overcome in a positive way.''
Responding to the same question, Purvanov said that there were problems in implementation of the agreement, adding that ''there is good will, political will, the rest is left to experts. Concerned ministers of both countries will come together in the coming period.''
Responding to the same question, Romanian President Iliescu proposed foundation of an energy market in Bucharest, adding that this would positively affect energy production capacity and flow at regional level.
When a Turkish journalist asked the repercussion of Romania's starting visa application for Turkish citizens as of 2004, on bilateral relations, Romanian President Iliescu said that Shengen rules necessitated Romania to fulfill some of its obligations till 2007. Iliescu said that Romania discussed the issue with EU and told that Romania didn't want to give harm its relations with its neighbours, Iliescu said that ''there should be facilities for visits of businessmen, tourists and intellectuals to Romania. We give importance to this issue. We'll come to terms with EU.''
Upon a question asking how could the three countries be effective as partners in reconstruction of Iraq, President Sezer said that Iraq was a neighbour country of Turkey and that Romania and Bulgaria were regional countries. ''Due to that, as much as security and stability of Iraq concerns Turkey, it also concerns Romania and Bulgaria. Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria will do their utmost to reinstallation of security and stability in Iraq. Turkey favours protection of the independence, political unity and territorial integrity of Iraq. We voice this in all platforms. Turkey launches its best efforts to transport U.N. organizations' aid to Iraq. We voiced the cooperation opportunities of three countries in reconstruction of Iraq. We could not reach a concrete result about cooperation about reconstruction. We are right in this process, because the political reconstruction of Iraq seems not certain for the moment. The reconstruction of Iraq can be in question after getting a result from the political reconstruction. After that stage, we can come together for concrete cooperation opportunities,'' Sezer said.
When asked the views of the three presidents about participation of Greece into the summit next year, Romanian President Iliescu said that ''we find positive such an idea, but we must also get the approval of Greece. I hope Greece finds its positive too.''
Upon a question about the steps that would be taken in fight with terrorism, President Sezer said that ''fight with terrorism, drug and human smuggling were voiced during the first meeting of this summit in 1997 in Varna and it was mentioned in the final declaration. In the second meeting, an agreement was signed between three countries on fight with terrorism, drug and human smuggling. This agreement was partially put into practice. Interior ministers had a meeting in 2003 and they will have another meeting next year. A security official was charged about common security in Bucharest. Recently together with terrorism threat, human smuggling is another important problem. For that reason we must take up human smuggling dimension in a deeper way and have a broader cooperation against it. Both Turkey, and also Bulgaria and Romania are on the routes of human smuggling. We must search for ways to overcome it. We increase the punishment foreseen for human smugglers to ten years of imprisonment with the amendment we plan to make in Turkish Penal Code.''
Iliescu said regarding the same question that they discussed this issue during the meetings. Noting that the issue is important for the stability of the region, Iliescu said that the issue would continue to be discussed in the future. Purvanov said that there was no difference of opinion among the three countries about this issue.