Erdogan: Our relationships over 30 years are as solid as the stone bridge in Skopje

The signing of the political declaration for the establishment of a high-level co-operation Council between Turkey and Northern Macedonia is a very important step by which we can raise the relations between our two countries in trade and the economy … I hope to attend the first session of the Council to be held at the SKUD Declaration.

Erdogan expressed satisfaction with the host of Prime Minister Mickoski and his delegation in Istanbul, noting that the purpose of the document was to trade around one billion euros last year, to be in the same ratio between the two countries.

-Last year we had about $ 1 billion in trade and I think we have to bring it two sided on the first occasion. There is a free trade agreement between the two countries that needs to be revised. Today we also referred to the relations we have in the military area and in the field of defense industry. Turkey is one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Northern Macedonia. As our associate in NATO, we are two friendly countries that directly affect the preservation of peace in the Balkans. Our relationships over 30 are solid as a solid and the Stone Bridge in Skopje – Erdogan said.

He also emphasized the importance of the Turkish community in Northern Macedonia for maintaining close relations between the two countries.

-The Balkan should not be seen as a place for competition between nations. On the contrary, it should be a field for joint cooperation and development. The most important thing that binds the two countries are the Turks living and their community in Northern Macedonia. They used to migrate and came to that geography earlier than Anatolia and formed their own cultural foundations that bind us- Erdogan said.

As he stated, he mentioned to the Prime Minister in their conversations that « this friendship is under pressure from FETO and we must fight jointly against them. »

The two addressed and exchanged views on regional and global geostrategic issues such as the conflict in Ukraine and Gaza.

For Turkey, as Erdogan said, it is crucial to resolve the conflict in Ukraine by talks. The situation in Palestine emphasized that the two countries share the same attitude, which is by forming two states.