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PM Victor Ponta in Ankara: 'Europe needs Turkey as Turkey needs Europe'
Premier Victor Ponta on Thursday assured his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Romania's 'absolute and unconditional' support for the process of Turkey's integration into the EU.
'Europe needs Turkey as Turkey needs Europe. I really believe that a Europe which would include Turkey is a more powerful Europe, more respected internationally and it goes without saying that European standards make us all advance to democracy, to our economic development,' Ponta told a press conference he gave together with his counterpart in Ankara.
He reiterated the fact that Romania gave its 'absolute and unconditional support' for the process of Turkey's integration into the EU.
The Turkish Premier said too that Romania supported his country 'powerfully and unconditionally' in the process of joining the EU.
Erdogan also insisted on saying that this year they celebrated the 135th anniversary of the relations between the two countries, Agerpres correspondent informs.
Erdogan hopes trade with Romania will reach 10 billion dollars due to a flexible visa regime
The Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, appreciated that the value of trade between Romania and Turkey will soon reach 10 billion dollars, following a flexible visa regime for Turkish businessmen.
'If we look at our trade relations, the trade volume last year reached 6 billion dollars, but I think, in a short period of time, based on our mutual decision, to see them reach 10 billion dollars', said Erdogan in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Victor Ponta .
He stressed that there are about 7,000 Turkish companies in Romania.
Erdogan criticized the fact that some EU countries do not grant the same visa conditions to Turkish citizens, as the ones granted, for instance, to those from South America. He pointed out that he appreciates Romania's support in this matter .
In turn, Prime Minister Ponta said that he wants to see the 'visa barrier' removed as soon as possible between Europe and Turkey.
Head of the Romanian Executive also said that he remembers a period when no visas were required between Romania and Turkey, emphasizing that it is important such 'bureaucratic barriers' no longer exist between the two countries.
On Thursday, in Ankara, in the presence of the two prime ministers, several documents were signed, among which one on the exchange of verbal notes for the entry into force of the visa facilities granted to Turkish businessmen.
As well, a series of documents were signed, as: the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Romania and the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock of the Republic of Turkey; the Joint declaration between the Department of Energy of the Ministry of Economy of Romania and the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey on cooperation in the field of energy; the Protocol of the 26th session of the Joint Inter-governmental Commission for Economic Cooperation between Romania and Turkey; the Inter-governmental agreement on the operation and activities of cultural centers; the Protocol between the Government of Romania and the Government of the Republic of Turkey concerning the prohibition and prevention of illicit import, export, transit and transfer of ownership of cultural property.
Ponta: Romania, Turkey agreement on medical services settlement must be updated
Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta said here on Thursday that the agreement between Romania and Turkey on the settlement of medical services must be updated.
'We must update the agreement between Romania and Turkey on the settlement of medical services, because this agreement is old, from 1999. (...) There still are important debts between the hospitals in Turkey and the Romanian National (Health Insurance) Office', Ponta told a joint news conference with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, adding he had discussed this topic at the National Health Insurance Office in the 'last days'.
He stressed he appreciates the fact the Romanian-Turkish cooperation on healthcare has developed very much over the recent time, as he said there are many Romanian patients who currently get treatment in Turkey.
Meeting between Ponta and Turkish investors in Ankara
Premier Victor Ponta on Thursday had a working lunch with Turkish businessmen, representatives of some companies that have already invested in Romania or that have requested access to some state aid.
'Today, with the assistance of the two ambassadors, Turkey's in Bucharest and ours in Ankara, I have had an extremely useful working lunch with the representatives of the companies that are already investing in Romania, some of them being extremely well known, no matter if we speak of Arctic at Gaesti [southern Romania] or Rulmentul, but we have also talked about companies that have lately participated in privatization processes in Romania or about companies that are carrying out important projects and that have requested access to some state aid,' Ponta said in a joint declaration he made with his Turkish counterpart.
He assured that Turkey's all economic interests in Romania were friendly received and were treated with utmost care.
The Turkish Premier also assured that there would be 'indeed an increase in the development of the trade relations' between the two countries.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta has been paying an official visit to Ankara, on which occasion he had meetings with Turkey's President Abdullah Gul and with Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek.
On Thursday morning, Prime Minister Victor Ponta laid a wreath of flowers at the Mausoleum of Ataturk.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta has been paying an official visit to Turkey, together with a delegation made up of representatives of several institutions.
The visit of the Romanian Prime Minister to Turkey aims at ensuring the continuity of the dynamic of the high-level bilateral dialogue and at strengthening the bilateral cooperation, in the context of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries, signed in December 2011