Turkish P.M.: Turkish And Romanian Businessmen Have Will To Show A Good Example Of Solidarity

BUCHAREST - Turkish Prime Minister said on Friday that Turkey and Romania had the will to show a good example of solidarity.
Erdogan opened the new building of Turkish Businessmen's Association in Romanian capital Bucharest.
Speaking in the opening ceremony, Erdogan said that Turkish businessmen had invested in Romania since 1989.
Erdogan noted that Turkish entrepreneurs made 800 million U.S. dollars of investments in Romania so far.
Romania was ranked the third in Turkey's foreign trade following Germany and Italy, Erdogan stated.
Erdogan said that there were 8,666 Turkish entrepreneurs in Romania and asked Turkish businessmen to be in solidarity under the roof of this association.
Trade volume between Turkey and Romania was 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2003, Erdogan pointed out.
Erdogan stressed that Turkey supported Romania's NATO accession and would continue its support and asked Romania to support Turkey's European Union (EU) accession process.
As long as relations continued between two countries, small problems faced in relations could easily be overcome, Erdogan added.
Erdogan, who went to Romania earlier in the day, was welcomed by an official ceremony by Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase.
Turkish and Romanian prime ministers held a tete-a-tete meeting and then presided meetings between the delegations.
Erdogan and Nastase later held a joint press conference.
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan said that relations between Turkey and Romania would reach the future in a very different way after Turkey started accession talks with the EU.
In the press conference Romanian Prime Minister Nastase said that Romania would extend necessary support to Turkey's EU membership.
Erdogan was then received by Romanian President Ion Iliescu.
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Nastase later attended the meeting of Turkish-Romanian Business Council and addressed businessmen of the two countries in Romanian capital Bucharest. Turkey and Romania could lay energy line beneath the sea, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in the meeting.
Nastase, in his part, called on Turkish businessmen to invest in Romania and expressed belief that Turkish investments would increase after Thursday's meetings.
Earlier on Friday, Erdogan met with President of Romanian Chamber of Deputies Valer Dorneanu, President of Romanian Senate Nicolae Vacaroiu, and representatives of associations of kinsmen in Romanian capital Bucharest.
(BRC-AÖ) 21.05.2004