Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker held talks in Ankara, focusing on bilateral relations, economic and trade cooperation, Türkiye-EU relations, and regional and global developments.

Following their meeting at the Presidential Complex, Erdoğan and Stocker held a joint press conference, where the Turkish president highlighted the positive momentum in relations between Türkiye and Austria, particularly in the economic and trade fields.

Erdoğan said the two countries achieved a trade volume of nearly $4.5 billion in 2025, expressing confidence that this figure could reach $5 billion in 2026.

“ We are glad to see the positive momentum, which we have attained in our relations with Austria in the recent period, in our economic and trade relations as well,” Erdoğan said. “We believe that we will inshallah increase the nearly 4.5-billion-dollar trade volume, which we achieved in 2025, to our goal of 5-billion dollars this year.”

Erdoğan welcomed Stocker on his first visit to Türkiye as Austrian chancellor and underlined the importance of the more than 400,000-strong Turkish community in Austria, describing it as a shared value and source of richness for both countries.

He said the two leaders discussed all aspects of bilateral relations as well as Türkiye-EU ties and regional and global developments.

According to Erdoğan, more than 1,000 Austrian companies are currently operating in Türkiye, while Austrian-origin direct investments in Türkiye have exceeded $11 billion.

Türkiye's investments in Austria, meanwhile, have approached $1 billion, Erdoğan said, describing the figures as a clear indication of the potential for further economic cooperation between the two countries.

The Turkish president said he also conveyed Ankara’s expectations regarding Türkiye’s relations with the European Union.

Erdoğan stressed the importance of progress on updating the EU-Türkiye Customs Union and advancing visa liberalization, arguing that such steps would benefit both Türkiye and the European Union.

He said Ankara would continue to pursue closer economic and political engagement with European partners while seeking concrete progress on longstanding issues in Türkiye-EU relations.

Regional developments also featured prominently in the discussions.

Erdoğan said Türkiye considers the preservation of Syria’s territorial integrity and unity a top priority and expressed hope that Austria would contribute to efforts aimed at rebuilding the war-torn country.

He also reiterated Türkiye’s support for a two-state solution as the basis for achieving lasting peace in the Middle East.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza was another key issue addressed by the Turkish president.

Erdoğan emphasized the importance of ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, noting that Austrian Chancellor Stocker also attaches particular importance to the issue.

Türkiye and Austria, Erdoğan added, share an interest in maintaining stability in the Balkans, another region where the two countries see the continuation of peace and stability as an important priority.

The talks underscored Ankara and Vienna’s efforts to strengthen bilateral economic ties while coordinating on Türkiye-EU relations and addressing regional issues, including Syria, Gaza and stability in the Balkans. (ILKHA)