Turkish and Romanian foreign ministers meet in Ankara

TURKEY

Turkey’s foreign minister said on Thursday that Turkey and Romania, the two most important countries in Black Sea region, were determined to turn the region into one of the most powerful and developed economic basins in the world.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Romanian Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu held a joint press conference following their meeting in capital Ankara.

Speaking at the conference, Davutoğlu said Turkey and Romania were the biggest commercial partners in the Balkans, adding that both countries displayed efforts for the security and stability of the region.

Commenting on the two countries’ cooperation in energy sector, Davutoğlu said Nabucco project was a strategical issue for both countries.

Davutoğlu said Turkish Energy & Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz and State Minister Zafer Caglayan would pay visits to Romania in September and October in an effort to improve the bilateral economic and political relations between the two countries.

Noting that ways to improve the economic cooperation in the Black Sea region were on the agenda of his talks with Diaconescu, Davutoğlu also said that relations with EU and NATO was another important area for Turkey and Romania.

Delivering a speech at the press conference, Diaconescu said that Turkey was the biggest commercial partner of Romania after EU.

Emphasizing his country’s support to Turkey’s EU bid, Diaconescu said Turkey was an important country both for the Black Sea and Caucasus regions.
The peace process in the Middle East, Afghanistan-Pakistan relations and Iraq issue were also discussed during his talks with Davutoğlu, Diaconescu said.