‘Kebabs’ issue discussed again by City authorities

The issue related to the sale of kebabs in the municipality of Chisinau is again bothering the local administration. Mayor General Dorin Chirtoaca met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkey to Moldova Fatma Fırat Topçuoğlu on August 15. She said that the Turkish businessmen operating in Moldova did not encounter serious problems, except for those related to the sale of kebabs. The Ambassador said that problem occurred because the rules and standards were not clear enough. This type of food was promoted in Europe 30 years ago, and the problems that appeared back then were resolved and the Europeans accepted the Turkish cuisine, the ambassador says. She expressed her hope that this food will be accepted in Moldova too. Dorin Chirtoaca stated that the kebabs are popular in the entire world and that this type of food can be found in any European city. He pointed out that the local authorities will study in detail the real reasons behind the prohibition to sell kebabs in Chisinau and promised that all the further actions will comply with the laws. Although the ban was linked to the lack of proper sanitary conditions and other types of violations, the Mayor does not exclude the fact that one of the causes was that the Turkish fast-foods were becoming more and more popular to the detriment of the local merchants’ interests. The visit of the Ambassador of Turkey to the Chisinau City Hall was a courtesy visit which, according to the mayor, was meant to maintain and improve the ties between the two partners. Fatma Fırat Topçuoğlu mentioned that in the future there will be more possibilities to discuss and to promote this relation in different fields. She said that the number of Moldovan tourists who spent their vacations in Turkey has doubled in 2007 and the volume of trade between Moldova and Turkey has increased almost threefold in the last few years. Fatma Fırat Topçuoğlu reiterated the invitation to organise a festival of Moldova in Ankara, Chisinau’s twinned city. The festival would be a promotion opportunity for Moldova. A similar invitation was made two years ago, but due to unknown reasons the festival was not held. The Mayor was also invited to visit Turkey. Dorin Chirtoaca said that Turkey has a good infrastructure and that is why Chisinau and Ankara should develop many cooperation opportunities.