Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Nicu Popescu and his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu today signed the plan of consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two states for 2022 – 2023. The signing ceremony was held in Chisinau, as part of the visit paid by the Turkish minister at the invitation of his Moldovan counterpart, IPN reports.
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According to Nicu Popescu, the plan contains a concrete action program for those who are in charge of the political, consular dialogue and also for the communication and public diplomacy between the two ministries. “The goal of diplomacy is to be near the citizens and their interests so that our citizens can travel between the Republic of Moldova and the Republic of Turkey based on identity cards. But we care a lot about particular subsequent steps for facilitating the situation of our compatriots who travel between our states,” added the minister.
The officials discussed the completion of the procedures for ratifying the agreement on the conversion and mutual recognition of driver’s licenses, the measures taken to limit the roaming changes and to increase the frequency of flights between Moldova and Turkey, primarily in summer. The two ministers exchanged opinions about the political and security situation in the region and conferred on the Transnistrian conflict settlement and on the interaction between the Republic of Moldova and Turkey within the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
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Nicu Popescu noted that Turkey is the fourth largest commercial partner of Moldova, which accounts for about 9% of the Moldovan exports, which is very important for Moldova’s economy. In Moldova, there are about 1,100 companies with Turkish capital that bring investments. But there is the ambition to develop the bilateral relationship further, including by extending the existing freed trade agreements between Moldova and Turkey.
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For his part, Mevlüt Çavușoğlu said that for Turkey Moldova’s stability and territorial integrity is important. ATU Gagauzia, which is an integral part of the Republic of Moldova, forms a friendship bridge. The legal regulations concerning the functioning of the autonomous-territorial unit are very important and he is delighted that Moldova applies these provisions.
The minister also said that Turkey would like to open a honorific consular office in Bălți. As to the pandemic period, the official said that despite the difficult times, trade between the two countries grows and will soon reach US$1 million.
Mevlüt Çavușoğlu underlined the necessity of developing the tourist relations given that Turkey is the top tourist destination for Moldovans. In another development, the official said that if need be, Turkey is ready to deliver another batch of vaccine doses to Moldova. He invited Nicu Popescu to attend the Diplomacy Forum in Turkey next year.
