ANKARA - President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said on Friday that his visit to Macedonia enabled him to emphasize the importance that Turkey attached to living of Turkish kinsmen in that country in prosperity and well-being.
Sezer, who returned from his four-day official visit to Macedonia and Croatia, told reporters that they decided to further improve cooperation with Croatia on the road to European Union (EU) membership of the two countries.
His tour to Macedonia and Croatia enabled them to review all aspects of relations, Sezer said.
Sezer stated that he received information about restructuring process launched after the Ohrid frame agreement which ended crises and conflicts in 2001 was signed, during his meeting with Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski.
With the positive policies it followed, Macedonia not only took brave steps to lay social peace and stability on a stronger ground but also progressed on the road to integration with Euro-Atlantic organizations, Sezer said and expressed pleasure to see that.
Sezer said, ''I once more emphasized that we closely follow and support these efforts of Macedonia during my meeting with Trajkovski.''
They reached a consensus that there was need for a new attempt in economic and commercial relations in talks that took place in Skopje, Sezer pointed out.
Sezer stated that they decided to continue such efforts.
They stressed the need to develop educational and cultural relations with concrete cooperation projects, Sezer said.
Sezer went on saying, ''my visit enabled us to emphasize the importance that Turkey attaches to living of Turkish kinsmen in this country in prosperity and well-being. I expressed during my contacts our expectation that our kinsmen should be represented in central and local administrations in proportion to their population and under rightful representation principle, which is one of the most important provisions of the Ohrid frame agreement.''
''I also emphasized the importance we attached to protection of Turkish-Ottoman cultural heritage in Macedonia from every kind of attacks and perception of our common history as the source of our friendship,'' Sezer said.
Stating that he had the opportunity to visit Ohrid and Bitola cities in Macedonia, Sezer expressed pleasure to see that they were in consensus with Macedonian officials to further develop the relations.
Sezer said that bilateral relations were reviewed during his visit to Croatia as the guest of Croatian President Stjepan Mesic.
They exchanged views about particularly Balkans and international issues concerning the two countries, Sezer noted.
Sezer pointed out that ways to reflect the development recorded in political relations since Croatia gained its independence on economy, trade and culture were taken up.
They reached consensus that the Turkish-Croatian Free Trade Agreement that entered into force on July 1, 2003 would provide businessmen of the two countries with many opportunities, Sezer said.
Recalling that he attended Turkish-Croatian Business Council meeting with Mesic, Sezer said that two countries shared views about efforts exerted on the road to EU membership and decided to further improve cooperation in that respect.
Sezer added that he believed that his visit to Croatia enabled him to once more stress their common determination to further improve relations based on mutual understanding and cooperation.
(End)
(BRC-AÖ) 04.07.2003