The Governments of Moldova and Turkey have signed a reciprocal visa waiver agreement, alongside other six agreements and memorandums, as part of Prime Minister Vlad Filat's visit to Ankara and Istanbul, the Moldovan Government said in a press release. Vlad Filat met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to take stock of the Moldova-Turkey relationship over the past two decades. The Turkish Premier stated the signing of the seven documents was a first step towards the implementation of the future plans agreed on. “The signing of the visa waiver agreement will further intensify cooperation between our countries in economic, political and tourism matters. In fact, today bilateral trade stands at $450 million. We plan to reach the $500 million mark by the end of the year and hit $1 billion by 2015”, said the Turkish Premier. Vlad Filat noted that last year roughly 85,000 Moldovans visited Turkey. “I am convinced the number of visitors will increase now that the visa regime is abolished, and so will the number of Turkish visitors to Moldova. Freedom offers the platform necessary for development, and freedom of movement is an indispensable value on the path towards building and strengthening relations”, said Vlad Filat. The Moldovan Prime Minister announced that by the end of the year the Free Trade Agreement with Turkey would also be signed. Further, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan next year will pay a visit to Moldova's Gagauz autonomy. Other documents signed during Vlad Filat's meeting include the agreement on the readmission of illegal immigrants; the protocol of cooperation in education; the protocol of cooperation in cartography; the memorandum of understanding on environmental cooperation; and the protocol concerning the creation of a mechanism for periodic consultations on services and works procurement. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented to Vlad Filat a replica of Stephen the Great's sword, whose original is deposited at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.