ERDOGAN: TURKEY WILL EXPEND EVERY KIND OF SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE TO HEAD TOWARDS THE WEST
KIEV - Turkey will expend every kind of support for Ukraine to head towards the West, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.
Erdogan met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.
Meetings between delegations followed tete-a-tete meeting of Erdogan and Yanukovych.
Speaking to reporters, Yanukovych said relations between Turkey and Ukraine were example to other countries.
Yanukovych said there was a potential between the two countries to further improve commercial relations. He said business council meetings in both countries constituted opportunities for Turkey and Ukraine to know each other well.
Yanukovych said Turkey would help Ukraine to be a member of World Trade Organization. Ukrainian Prime Minister stressed that they considered Turkey as a partner for their relations with NATO.
Yanukovych said Turkey and Ukraine could find the possibility to make cooperation in Iraq, and noted that the two countries signed free trade agreement.
Prime Minister Erdogan in his part said Turkish-Ukrainian relations were discussed in detail during the tete-a-tete meeting.
Expressing pleasure over improving relations between Turkey and Ukraine, Erdogan said there were trivial problems in transportation. He said elimination of those problems would improve economic and commercial relations between the two countries.
Erdogan said Turkey would expend every kind of support for Ukraine to head towards the West, stating that the two countries would cooperate to transport Ukraine's sources to markets. Erdogan said, ''our joint issues will play a determining role in our region and in Eurasia.''
Erdogan also said Turkey and Ukraine could make cooperation in Iraq.
Calling on bureaucratic procedures to be completed soon regarding opening of cemetery of martyrs foreseen to be constructed in Sevastopol, Erdogan said terrorist attacks which Turkey also suffered were discussed in many summits.
Following the talks, Erdogan and Yanukovych signed improved cooperation agreement.
Presidents of Eximbanks of the two countries also signed a framework agreement.
(AY-AÖ) 02.04.2004