ANKARA - Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer hosted a dinner in honor of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden at the Presidential Palace in Ankara on Tuesday.
During the dinner, Sezer stressed deep-rooted relations between the two countries, and said that Sweden was among the first European countries with which the Ottoman Empire established a diplomatic relationship.
Underlining developments in political, economic, cultural and social relations between Turkey and Sweden, Sezer pointed out that the bilateral trade volume was more than 2 billion USD last year.
``We are pleased to see that Swedish companies are more interested in our country. The delegation of distinguished businessmen, accompanying the King of Sweden, indicates that our cooperation will continue to improve,`` he stressed.
Sezer also recalled that the number of Swedish people visiting Turkey exceeded 400,000 last year, and noted that Turkish people living in Sweden are acting as a bridge between the two countries and cultures.
``This visit will further improve our bilateral relations,`` Sezer added.