Turkey stands behind the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Eastern European country of Moldova, the Turkish foreign minister said on Thursday.
"We always emphasize that we fully support Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint press conference in Chisinau, the Moldovan capital, alongside his Moldovan counterpart Nicu Popescu.
“I would like to stress once again our support for the peaceful resolution of the Transnistria conflict within the framework of the territorial integrity of Moldova," added Cavusoglu, who is on a one-day visit to the country.
Transnistria, located along Moldova’s border with Ukraine, is an unofficial breakaway area that is internationally recognized as part of Moldova. It has a large Russian-speaking population.
Cavusoglu also emphasized that the Gagauz Autonomous Region, which is an inseparable part of Moldova, is a bridge of friendship that strengthens relations between Turkey and Moldova, adding:
“Preserving dialogue and cooperation between Chisinau and (the Gagauz region capital) Comrat is important for the prosperity and stability of both Moldova and the region.”
The autonomous region is home to a majority Gagauz population – an Orthodox Christian, Turkic community.
Saying that Turkey sees Moldova’s stability and economic development as important, Cavusoglu added: "Our relations with Moldova are above politics. We will work together to deepen our strategic partnership with the new government.”
Congratulating Popescu on his new position as foreign minister, Cavusoglu voiced his desire to cooperate closely and work together to further bilateral relations.
Turkey-Moldova relations are based on common cultural and historical ties, he said, adding that in 2022 the two countries should hold joint events to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.
During his visit, Cavusoglu also met with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu, Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita and Irina Vlah, governor (baskhan) of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia.
Bilateral trade
Cavusoglu also said bilateral trade volume has risen despite the COVID-19 pandemic and that the countries are getting closer to their goal of $1 billion.
"We are very pleased that our companies are undertaking large-scale projects in Moldova, and we encourage Turkish companies to invest more in Moldova," he said.
He added their bilateral relations in the field of tourism are growing stronger every year, as nationals of both countries are able to travel between the two countries using just their national ID cards, without any passports.
He said everyone saw the solidarity between the two countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding: "Today we agreed to take the necessary steps for mutual recognition of vaccination certificates."
He went on to say an agreement on mutual recognition of vaccination certificates is currently before Turkey’s parliament.
Since Moldova declared independence in 1992, Turkey has extended development assistance, especially through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), and it will continue to support development projects all over Moldova in the future, Cavusoglu added.
Moldova thanks Turkey for its support
Popescu said Turkey is a key country for the Moldovan economy.
Turkey, he said, “ranks fourth among our commercial partners. There are over 1,100 Turkish companies in Moldova. This shows that our economic cooperation is at a very high level."
"We would like to deepen our economic relations with a bilateral free trade agreement," he underlined.
Thanking Turkey for its support during the pandemic, Popescu said: "Turkey made some donations to Moldova. It sent protective equipment and vaccines. We also allocated the vaccine donations made by Turkey to the Transnistria region.”
