Erdogan: Turkey and North Macedonia, two friendly countries that contribute to peace and stability in the Balkans
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised his country’s relations with North Macedonia, stressing that the two countries together, as NATO allies, directly contribute to peace and stability in the Balkans.
Erdogan today hosted a meeting with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, and after the meeting, the two leaders held a joint press conference.
In his speech, Erdogan said that in the meeting with Mickoski, ways to further deepen bilateral relations were discussed, while with a signed joint statement, the mechanism of the High-Level Cooperation Council between the two countries was established, reports AA, transmits KosovaPress.
“I would like to visit Skopje in the near future for the first meeting of the Council,” said the Turkish president.
He emphasized that steps that can be taken towards advancing trade and economic relations were one of the main topics of today’s meeting, adding that Turkish firms have investments worth close to $2 billion in North Macedonia, in numerous sectors, such as banking, health, education and renewable energy.
“We are continuing our efforts to double the trade volume in the first phase, which has approached the $1 billion figure,” said President Erdogan, adding that updating the Free Trade Agreement would contribute to this.
He announced that relations in the military field and joint projects in the defense industry were also examined in detail.
“With North Macedonia, a NATO ally, we are two friendly countries that together contribute directly to the peace and stability of the Balkans,” Erdogan further said.
He stated that his country continues to work with the belief that the Balkans should not be a field of rivalry, but a field of cooperation and development.
Erdogan praised the role of the Turkish community in North Macedonia as a bridge between the two countries.
According to him, the two leaders also discussed other regional and global topics, such as the war in Ukraine and the situation in Palestine. He said that the two countries expressed their common will towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Before the press conference, the two leaders signed a joint political declaration on the establishment of the High-Level Cooperation Council between the two countries.