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Minister Aurescu: Turkey continues to remain a key-partner of Romania
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu had on Thursday a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, on the sidelines of the Romania-Poland-Turkey trilateral meeting, in which it was highlighted that Turkey continues to be Romania's first economic partner outside the European Union, with bilateral trade reaching almost 6.4 billion dollars in 2020.
According to a Foreign Ministry (MAE) release sent on Thursday, the trilateral meeting is hosted by the head of Romanian diplomacy in Bucharest on Thursday and Friday.
Minister Bogdan Aurescu welcomed the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on Strategic Partnership between Romania and the Republic of Turkey this year, pointing out that the dimensions of bilateral relations have expanded over time, and Turkey remains a key-partner of Romania.
During the meeting, the two chief diplomats addressed the stage of the bilateral relationship and the opportunities to deepen it, with an emphasis on the economic field, and aspects of interest on the regional, European and international agenda.
"This dynamic and the presence of over 16,200 Turkish companies in Romania demonstrate that there is significant growth potential that needs to be capitalized on. In this context, the two officials agreed to continue efforts to organize, in the coming period, the meetings of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) and the Joint Economic and Trade Cooperation Commission (JETCO), two cooperation formats that are particularly useful for stimulating cooperation between business and bilateral trade. Cooperation in the field of education and the defence industry was also discussed," the release said.
Bogdan Aurescu and Mevlut Cavusoglu also exchanged views on the regional security situation, with a focus on the Black Sea and the Eastern Neighborhood, as well as on NATO cooperation, which will be deepened during the Romania-Poland-Turkey Trilateral Meeting.
Minister Bogdan Aurescu conveyed to the Turkish counterpart the special appreciation for Turkey's concrete contributions to NATO's Forward Presence in Romania, these confirming and strengthening the bilateral Strategic Partnership and contributing substantially to regional security.
EU-Turkey relations were also addressed during the meeting. Minister Bogdan Aurescu welcomed recent developments in revitalizing the EU-Turkey relationship and reiterated Romania's support for continuing an open and constructive dialogue between Turkey and the European Union and for deepening relations with this key partner, according to the European Council Declaration of March 25, 2021.
He expressed confidence in maintaining a sustained and constructive commitment on the part of Turkey, in order to materialize in the next period the offer of the positive agenda of EU-Turkey relations, agreed by European leaders, aiming at economic cooperation, relaunching high-level dialogue formats in areas of interest and the promotion of mobility and interpersonal contacts, the MAE also shows.
Bogdan Aurescu thanked Turkey for its constant support for joining the OECD, a support confirmed by its Turkish counterpart.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on regional developments, with the two ministers highlighting their joint commitment to developing cooperation in regional formats.
Minister Bogdan Aurescu praised the good cooperation with the Turkish side during Romania's 2020 presidency of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC) and stressed the importance of consolidating the BSEC's regional profile, especially in the context of the recent election of the Romanian ambassador Lazar Comanescu to the position of BSEC Secretary General, with the head of the Romanian diplomacy thanking Turkey for its support in this regard.
Minister Aurescu also expressed support for the priorities of the Turkish Presidency of the South-East European Cooperation Process and appreciated the sectoral initiatives developed by it.
At the same time, the progress prospects on the Cyprus issue were discussed, with a view to the negotiations that will take place in the near future, as well as the prospects for an inter-Afghan peace dialogue.