The Turkish president welcomes the strategic partnership with Slovenia
On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the strategic partnership between Turkey and Slovenia, which was established in 2011.
“I believe that our solidarity, which has developed on the basis of friendship, alliance and strategic partnership, will be strengthened in all areas, including in the process of bringing Turkey closer to the European Union,” Erdogan said at a press conference with his Slovenian colleague Borut Pahor. in the capital Ankara.
Erdogan received Pahor in the presidential complex with an official ceremony. In the closed-door meeting, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations, Turkey’s EU membership process, and regional and international issues.
“Friendly relations and cooperation between Turkey and Slovenia contribute a lot to regional peace and stability,” Erdogan said.
After the failed coup in Turkey in 2016, the Slovenian president was the first leader of an EU country to visit Ankara as a sign of solidarity, Erdogan added.
During the conversation, the Turkish president said that the two leaders expressed satisfaction with the development of bilateral cooperation in almost all fields, especially in economy, trade, industry, science, technology and transport.
He added that Ankara and Ljubljana have the potential to increase cooperation in the field of economy and trade. “As allies in NATO, Turkey and Slovenia have common steps, especially in the field of defense.”
Erdogan said the volume of bilateral trade between Turkey and Slovenia reached $2.3 billion in 2021, adding: “Our goal is to increase this figure, which still does not fully reflect our real potential.”
Pahor said that the vast majority of Slovenians evaluate cooperation with Turkey “positively”.
Pahor praised Turkey’s mediating role between Russia and Ukraine for reducing tensions in the region.
“If this war lasts longer than expected, tensions may spill south into the Western Balkans,” he added.
Before the joint conference, Turkey and Slovenia signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of science and technology.