Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu held a joint press conference following their bilateral meeting at the Presidential Complex.

The leaders announced the establishment of the Türkiye-Romania High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, aiming to strengthen ties across various sectors.

Erdoğan emphasized the significance of economic and commercial ties, which he described as the "engine" of the bilateral relationship. "Our bilateral trade volume exceeded 10 billion dollars two years in a row. Our goal is to reach 15 billion dollars. We advance towards this goal with firm steps," Erdoğan stated. He noted that nearly 19,000 Turkish companies operate in Romania, contributing significantly to the economic success and friendship between the two nations. Turkish investments in Romania have reached 8 billion dollars, including those from third countries.

Erdoğan highlighted the increasing cooperation in the defense industry and military, marking it as a crucial pillar of bilateral relations. He pointed out the momentum gained in recent years and mentioned joint activities under NATO's framework. "Our four F-16 warplanes served for four months until the end of March in the Romanian airspace within the NATO Air Policing mission," he said. The collaboration extends to the Black Sea region, where Türkiye and Romania, along with Bulgaria, have formed the Black Sea Mine Countermeasure Task Group.

The talks also covered counterterrorism efforts. Erdoğan shared Türkiye's expectations from Romania in combating terrorist organizations such as PKK and FETO. He praised the harmony in which the Turkish and Turkish Tatar communities live in Romania, describing them as a "bridge of friendship."

Erdoğan and Ciolacu discussed various regional and global issues, with a significant focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Erdoğan condemned the Israeli aggression in Gaza, calling for international efforts to stop the ongoing genocide. He expressed hope that Romania would contribute to these efforts.

The ongoing war in Ukraine was also a key topic. Erdoğan highlighted Türkiye's contributions to efforts aimed at stopping the conflict and ensuring global food security and navigational safety in the Black Sea.

The press conference concluded with both leaders reaffirming their commitment to strengthening the strategic partnership between Türkiye and Romania. (ILKHA)