“Moldova had much in common with Turkey in the past, but I’m sure that we will have many things in common in the future as well. The bilateral relations with Turkey are of major importance for Moldova, especially because the Turkish investments are significant,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Valeriu Lazar said in an event held at the Embassy of Turkey in Chisinau on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations between the two states, Info-Prim Neo reports. ”I want to say that we have a consistent political dialogue with our Turkish counterparts. The agenda for this year is tight and we welcome the initiative of the Foreign Ministry of Turkey to organize a visit to Moldova soon. After a short pause, the joint Moldovan-Turkish commission resumed work and this year we will host the activities of this commission,” said Valeriu Lazar. He thanked Turkey for the non-reimbursable financial assistance offered to Moldova and for the scholarships given to Moldovan young people. “I think these investments are the most important as, besides knowledge of a high quality, the young people return to the country with experience and established relations. I hope we will have at least another 20 years of such relations,” said the Deputy Prime Minister. Turkish Ambassador to Moldova Mehmet Selim Kartal voiced hope that the election of the new President of Moldova will be beneficial to the Moldovan-Turkish relations, while Moldova will enjoy a long period of stability. He said that the two countries have a common history. “Our brothers – Orthodox Gagauzians who speak Turkish – live in the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia. The Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency substantially contributed to social projects in Moldova. The financial assistance provided to Moldova exceeded US$25 million,” said Mehmet Selim Kartal. He stressed that the Turkish companies run successful businesses in Moldova. “They built one of the most flourishing hotels in Moldova. The most popular private hospital belongs to a Turkish company. There are beer and candy makers that invested large amounts of money in Moldova. We are glad that the number of Moldovans visiting Turkey rises every year and my country became a top destination for the Moldovans who go on vacation,” stated the Ambassador. He also said that the high-level visits, the exchange of experience and the trade and mutually advantageous investments should be intensified.