Turkish president starts Serbia visit

Source: Beta, Tanjug
BELGRADE -- Turkish President Abdullah Gul met with his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadić to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries.Gul and tadić in Belgrade on Monday (Beta)

The two presidents appraised that these relations are at a "strategic partnership level".

After meeting with Tadić in Belgrade, Gul said that Serbia and Turkey "exist as good neighbors even though they do not share a border".

He said that Turkish companies are very interested in projects in Serbia, such as Corridor 10, because “Belgrade and Serbia are located at a key position in the Balkans”.

"As long as Serbia and Turkey support solving the same problems, there will be peace in the Balkans," Gul said, adding that the two countries have relations that are based "both on friendship and security".

The Turkish leader stated that an agreement to cut taxes and establish free trade, which will take effect at the end of the year, and several other agreements signed between the two countries on Monday, will be of great importance to Belgrade and Ankara.

Tadić said that Gul’s visit opens up space for "further cooperation and better friendship between Serbia and Turkey".

“In the past we have had many disagreements, but we want to see out future full of understanding and friendship,” Tadić said after the meeting.

He added that Turkey and Serbia are vital countries to all problems concerning the region.

In talks with Gul, whose country has recognized the Kosovo Albanian unilateral independence proclamation, Tadić repeated that Serbia will never recognize that act, and that it will fight through diplomatic and legal avenues to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Disagreements over Kosovo cannot be allowed to disrupt our relations,” Tadić was quoted as saying.

He also stated that the two countries "support each other in their European integration processes".

Also in Belgrade on Monday, department ministers of Serbia and Turkey signed five bilateral interstate agreements in Belgrade on Monday.

Serbian Minister of Economy and Regional Development Mlađan Dinkić and Turkish Minister of Labor and Social Security Omer Dincer signed the Agreement on cooperation in the area of infrastructural projects and Agreement on economic cooperation.

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić and Turkish State Minister Faruk Celik signed the Agreement on technical and financial cooperation.

Serbian Minister of Labor and Social Policy Rasim Ljajić and his Turkish counterpart Omer Dincer signed two agreements in the area of social security.

Trade with Turkey to improve

Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković and Turkish President Abdullah Gul agreed that there is great potential for improving trade between the two countries.

After their meeting in Belgrade on Monday, the two said that good bilateral relations between Serbia and Turkey are important to regional cooperation and that all forms of cooperation need to be improved, according to a statement from the Serbian government.

It was stated at the meeting that Turkey has showed great interest in the realization of several very important infrastructure projects in Serbia.

Economy and Regional Development Minister Mlađan Dinkić and Turkish Labor and Social Security Minister Omer Dincer signed an agreement on Monday for economic cooperation and one for cooperation in the field of infrastructure, based on long-term plans.

The agreement for cooperation in the field of transportation development and other infrastructure on the local, regional and national level, calls for the securing of favorable conditions for financing these projects.

The project for construction and restoring the road from Novi Pazar to Tutin and Novi Pazar to Sjenica/Aljinovići have been listed as priorities, as well as the construction and restoration of roadside buildings on those roads, that span a distance of 65.99 kilometers.

The money for construction the roads will be secured by Turkish Exim bank, which will finance 85 percent of the total value of the projects and secure credit of USD 30mn, and 15 percent of the value of the project will be financed from the Serbian budget.

The agreement also calls for the Turkish companies hiring Serbian workers for the jobs and to have Serbian producers supply the equipment and material needed.