Radio România Internațional

Tag: Turkey

November 26, 2015 UPDATE

Călin Popescu Tăriceanu, the acting president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) and speaker of the Romanian Senate, on Thursday gave a speech before the organization members in which he said that the strategic binder of their cooperation should remain the Black Sea. Tăriceanu said that, given the current geopolitical and economic context, one should not underestimate the region’s advantages, namely an area measuring 20 million sq. m., a population of more than 350 million inhabitants and its geo-strategic importance. The statement was made in the opening of the 46th meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. The event brings to Bucharest, until Friday, 76 MPs, representing 12 states in the Black Sea region.

Moscow will take economic, diplomatic and military measures against Ankara, in retaliation for the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkey, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced on Thursday. Turkey said the downed jet had encroached on Turkish air space and was warned repeatedly to change course, while Russian officials said the plane was at no time over Turkey. The crew ejected and one pilot was reportedly shot dead by rebels as he parachuted to the ground. According to Russian media, the surviving pilot said that they did not fly over Turkish air space, and that there were no visual or radio warnings from Turkey. The downing of the jet was one of the most serious publicly acknowledged clashes between a NATO member and Russia for half a century.

The Romanian Minister of European Funds, Aura Raducu, said on Thursday she wanted Romania’s EU funds absorbtion rate to exceed 70% for the 2007-2013 financial framework. Raducu said that out of the 15 thousand contracts and projects financed from these funds some 55 hundread should be completed by year-end. According to Minister Aura Raducu, 28 billion euros were yearmarked for Romania under the 2007-2013 financial framework.

The leadership of the Bucharest-Ilfov Inspectorate for Emergency Situations was suspended Wednesday following an internal investigation that revealed that the institution knew about the activities taking place in the Colectiv Bucharest-based club, but did not make any verifications. Also on Wednesday, the General Prosecutor’s Office announced that prosecutors changed the legal qualification in the case of the Colectiv club owners from bodily harm to manslaughter. 60 people have died following the fire of October 30th in the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest. 37 people injured are still in Bucharest hospitals and another 29 in hospitals aboard.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis discussed on Thursday with ambassadors of the EU countries in Bucharest, about Romania’s role within the EU, ways to stop migration and the terrorist attacks in Paris. Iohannis said the European states must work together with the transit countries and the countries of origins in order to stop the refugee wave.

The Moldovan politicians, who have been trying for several weeks to set up a new parliamentary majority, on Wednesday, were urged by Brussels officials to start negotiations unconditionally and reset the governing alliance that should set the priorities for the future government. The priorities should focus on real pro-European reforms. The talks of the Moldovan President, Nicolae Timofti, with parliamentary groups, meant to designate a candidate for the prime minister position, were postponed for Friday. The former executive led by the Liberal Democrat Valeriu Streleţ was dismissed at the end of October through a no-confidence motion tabled by the Socialist and Communist opposition backed by the Democrats, which led to the dismantling of the so-called pro-European alliance made up of the Liberal Party, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party. The Constitutional Court decided that the Moldovan Parliament should be dissolved unless it manages to validate a new government by the end of January 2016.

(Translated by: E. Enache)

26 November 2015
November 25, 2015

The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has signed into law a bill that raises the salaries of public healthcare personnel by 25% as of October 1, and the wages of other public sector employees by 10% as of December 1. PM Dacian Ciolos says these increases must be accompanied by an investment programme.

The PM of Romania, Dacian Cioloş, said in the government meeting today that he wants to make sure that the chiefs of the Bucharest-Ilfov Inspectorate for Emergency Situations who had been suspended would be dismissed and would no longer be able to get back in the system. The leaders of the Bucharest-Ilfov Inspectorate were suspended nearly a month after the Colectiv nightclub tragedy. Investigations revealed that the relevant authorities had not conducted inspections at the nightclub, although the heavily attended event had been announced publicly. We remind you that a rock concert ended tragically when the soundproofing material on a support pillar caught fire, which quickly spread over the entire ceiling. Hundreds of people, 5 times more than the club was allowed to host, were caught under the burning pieces falling from the ceiling.

Scores of cinema and theatre halls, restaurants and bars in Bucharest have been shut after last week the head of state Klaus Iohannis signed a law banning public activities from buildings with high vulnerability in case of earthquakes. Around 670 buildings, according to the Bucharest City Hall, have a heavily damaged structure, especially after the 7.2 earthquake in 1977, which killed nearly 1,600 people. The law was promulgated 3 weeks after the tragedy in Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, in which 60 people died so far and which sparked heated debates concerning public building safety.

The National Anti-Corruption Directorate in Bucharest has today ordered the prosecution of the Social Democratic Senator Dan Sova in a new case, in which he is suspected of being accessory to abuse of office. According to investigators, in 2006-2008 Sova apparently caused the Govora Thermal Power Complex to incur losses of over 1 million euros. On Tuesday, the Senates Judicial Committee approved Dan Sovas arrest and pre-trial detention in a separate case, concerning the period 2011-2014. Sova, a former minister for transportation in Victor Pontas Cabinet, reportedly claimed and received 100,000 euros in bribes to ensure the same Govora power plant signed a contract with a particular law firm.

21 people, of whom 18 Afghans and 3 Moldovan citizens, were captured by a Taliban group on Tuesday, after the emergency landing of a helicopter in the north of Afghanistan, the Republic of Moldovas government announced today. According to the same source, two Afghans and a Moldovan have been killed. The interim PM, Gheorghe Brega, said the Moldovan authorities requested support from the US and Romanian embassies in Afghanistan, in order to have the hostages released. The helicopter, owned by a private Moldovan company, was on a humanitarian mission in Afghanistan, under the UN aegis.

President Barack Obama expressed US and NATO support for Turkeys right to defend its sovereignty, reads a news release issued by the White House. The American and Turkish presidents discussed over the telephone about the incident involving a Russian warplane downed yesterday by the Turkish Air Forces. Whereas Ankara claims to have defeated its territory, after the plane entered Turkeys air space, the Russian President Vladimir Putin labels the incident as a stab in the back by the supporters of terrorism. Kremlin warned that its relations with Turkey would be affected and that it would take concrete steps. In an emergency meeting in Brussels, NATO expressed its solidarity with Turkey and called on the parties to refrain from escalating the conflict.

The President of France, François Hollande, is scheduled to have a meeting in Paris today with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as part of Paris efforts to rally international support in a coalition able to fight the IS terrorist group. Yesterday in Washington, François Hollande agreed with President Barack Obama to intensify air strikes in Syria and Iraq against the Jihadist group. On Monday, the head of the French State discussed the same issue with the British PM David Cameron. Hollandes diplomatic efforts to rally support against terrorism will continue tomorrow in Moscow, where the French President is to meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

25 November 2015
October 18, 2015

The Social Democratic Party, the largest partner in the ruling coalition in Romania, is to elect, in a special congress today, its new National Standing Bureau, after having validated Liviu Dragnea as party president. After winning the party election last Saturday, he proposed a new leadership structure for the Social Democratic Party, with a smaller National Standing Bureau having slightly different powers. Running for the second highest position in the party, executive president, are the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Valeriu Zgonea, and the former economy minister, Constantin Niţă. The congress is to validate the proposed changes of the party statute, including a provision that forbids a member to hold more than one position in the party. The National Council will become a specialised body, in charge with coordinating the work of the various departments.

In Bucharest, Monday morning is the last chance for Senators to table amendments to the postal voting bill. Later on the same day the document is to be discussed by the Senate in a plenary meeting, and subsequently it will be forwarded to the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case. The bill was drafted by the Standing Electoral Authority and stipulates postal voting can be used in parliamentary, presidential and European elections next year, by the Romanian citizens who reside abroad. Six months before the election, voters must notify the relevant embassies or consulates of their intention to vote, and they will be included in an Electoral Register. The Liberals, the main party in Opposition, and the Social Democrats in power support the bill. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania believes the law generates disparities between the Romanians living abroad and those in the country, whereas the co-president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, opposes postal voting, which he sees as too complicated and cumbersome.

In Chişinău, magistrates are to decide today on the arrest of Moldovas former Liberal Democratic PM Vlad Filat. He was detained by prosecutors under corruption and influence peddling charges, and the detention warrant expires this afternoon. Criminal proceedings were started on Tuesday, after businessman Ilan Shor, accused for the theft of one billion US dollars from the countrys banking system, wrote a self-incrimination report stating he had transferred to Vlad Filat around 250 million USD in exchange for decisions that would have favoured his companies, and for misuse of authority in the Savings Bank affair. Vlad Filat said his prosecution had political purposes.

The immigrant crisis is the main topic on the agenda of a visit made to Ankara by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is to discuss this with the President and the PM of Turkey. Angela Merkel Friday voiced openness to making some concessions to Turkey, which wishes to be viewed as a safe country by the Europeans, in exchange for Ankaras help in curbing the influx of migrants. The EU Thursday agreed on an action plan in this respect with Turkey, which is currently the gateway into Europe for hundreds of thousands of migrants. Brussels wants Turkey to strengthen security on its border with the Union, to stem the inflow of migrants and refugees. In exchange, Europe will provide financial support and stronger ties, including the prospect of easier travel visas for Turkish citizens. France Presse mentions that Germany opposed Turkeys EU accession.

Switzerland elects today the members of its two-chamber Parliament, in a vote in which the immigration issue was the main concern. Voting by post, available to most citizens, was opened two weeks ago. According to opinion polls, right-wing parties are likely to see their weight in the Swiss Parliament increased further to this ballot. The Socialist Party is also expected to stay firm and preserve its runner-up position. Smaller parties and the Greens will likely lose seats as support for the right wing is growing.

18 October 2015
October 6, 2015 UPDATE

The IMF has operated an upward adjustment of its forecasts regarding the increase of Romanias GDP this year and the next. According to the latest ‘World Economic Outlook released on Tuesday by the IMF, Romanias GDP is expected to go up 3.4% this year and 3.9% in 2016, as against the 2.7% and 2.9%, respectively, estimated in spring. On the other hand, in its financial stability report, the National Bank of Romania notes that the country is not facing severe systemic risks, in spite of the uncertainties related to the international economic context and the danger of a return to inadequate domestic economic policies. According to governor Mugur Isarescu, Romanias public debt is now sustainable, but the continued increase of the weight of the public debt in the GDP may become dangerous. Without financial stability, free market economy cannot work properly and efficiently, and fiscal relaxation becomes a “hoax, in that it reduces taxes, but triggers rises in inflation, depreciation rates and budget arrears, says Mugur Isarescu.

State Secretary for global affairs, Carmen Burlacu, received on Tuesday Riva Ganguly Das, the ambassador agree of the Republic of India, who presented her credentials. On this occasion, the two officials highlighted the positive dynamics of bilateral relations in recent years, emphasizing the multiple cooperation opportunities, as laid down in the joint declaration establishing an enhanced partnership between the two countries, signed in New Delhi on March 8, 2013.

The American anti-missile system in Deveselu, the military base in southern Romania that will become operational by the end of the year, is exclusively defensive in nature. It is designed to strengthen collective defence, a key mission of NATO, and to discourage ballistic attacks, the Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said in Seville on Tuesday. He took part in the ‘2015 Multinational Ballistic Missile Defence’ Conference organised by the US Missile Defence Agency. According to the Romanian official, the Iranian ballistic programme is being developed and there are other state and non-state actors interested in obtaining or developing this technology. According to Bogdan Aurescu, Russias statements that the missile shield is useless are not justified. In Seville, the Romanian official had a meeting with the director of the US Missile Defence Agency, Vice-admiral James D. Syring.

Ukraine and the EU Tuesday welcomed the east Ukrainian separatists announcement that local elections in the regions they control will be postponed to 2016. Brussels views the decision as a “fundamental step towards the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. Alongside the recent agreement to pull out light weapons, this announcement gives fresh hope that the conflict may see a long-term political solution, a spokesperson for the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has said. In a rare occurrence, Russia joined Ukraine and the EU in hailing the decision of the pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the conflict, in April 2014, more than 8,000 people have died in that country.

Turkish military planes were again harassed at the Turkish-Syrian border, the Turkish Army announced on Tuesday. The incidents came after, late last week, Russian aircraft violated Turkeys air space, causing tensions between Russia and Turkey, a NATO member country. The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warned Moscow that this may undermine relations with his country and said Turkey will not have violations of its airspace go unanswered. Russia launched air strikes in Syria on September 30, but the West accuses Moscow of targeting the opponents of President Bashar al-Assad. Russia claims however that it targets IS sites and other extremist groups.

6 October 2015
August 10, 2015

Romanians abroad must benefit from fundamental rights related to the preservation of their national identity, reads a message sent by the Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu to the participants in the Summer University in Izvoru Mureşului, which began on Monday. He emphasised that the measures promoted by Romania with respect to the national minorities on its territory, designed to help protect their ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity, ought to be adopted by the countries that host Romanian communities as well. For one week, Izvoru Muresului is hosting representatives of the Romanian communities in the diaspora, MPs from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, as well as professors from the main universities in the country. The Romanian Cultural Institute, through the Directorate for Romanians Abroad, supports the participation in the event of 80 leaders of Romanian associations, notable personalities of the Romanian communities living abroad. The theme of this years edition is “Romania and the Romanians on the EU and NATO borders.

In Romania, weather experts forecast another week with extreme heat. Until Wednesday, three counties in the west of the country are under a code orange alert for extreme temperatures, which may reach as much as 38 degrees Celsius. Scarce rainfall is expected this week as well. In most of the country farming areas have been affected by the lack of precipitations, and navigation on River Danube is hindered, although not completely stuck in any of the Romanian sectors of the river.

Romanias trade balance deficit reached 3.3 billion euros in the first 6 months of the year, up 441 million since the corresponding period of 2014, according to data released on Monday by the National Statistics Institute. Between January and June this year, Romanias exports grew by 5.9% and the imports by 6.9%, compared to the same period last year. According to the National Statistics Institute, in the first six months of the year vehicles and transport equipment, as well as other manufactured goods, accounted for the largest part of both imports and exports.

The Interior Ministry in Sofia denied the allegations published by Bulgarian media on Sunday, according to which the authorities were searching two presumed terrorists, a Romanian citizen and an Iranian-born French woman, who allegedly have connections with the Islamic State group. The Bulgarian Interior Ministry states in a news release that the individuals in question are searched for forging identity documents, and not for terrorist ties. The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced in turn that the information on the two suspects was false. The Ministry says the Bulgarian authorities temporarily introduced additional security measures on all border check points, and warns the Romanian citizens transiting this country that waiting times in Bulgarian check points may be extended.

In Athens negotiations carry on between the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and IMF and the Greek authorities over a third bailout programme worth up to 86 billion euros. One of the delicate points has to do with the recapitalisation of Greek banks and the management of bad debts. Greece needs 10 billion euro to inject in its banks, another 7 billion euros to pay off a bridge loan taken out in July and more than 3 billion euros to pay off a loan from the European Central Bank on August the 20th.

Four Turkish police and a military officer were killed on Monday in 2 attacks in the south-east of the country and blamed on Kurdish rebels. They came just hours after 2 attacks perpetrated in Istanbul and targeting the US consular office and a police station, and in which 3 people were killed and several others wounded. Turkish police have arrested one of the two perpetrators of Monday mornings attack on the American consular office in Istanbul. Meanwhile, the USA deployed six F-16 fighter planes and 300 US troops to the strategic base in Incirlik, in southern Turkey, to strike Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria. A NATO member, Turkey last month launched a “synchronised war on terror, which includes air strikes against the jihadists in Syria and against the Kurdish militants in northern Iraq.

10 August 2015
July 29, 2015 UPDATE

The Romanian Defence Minister Mircea Duşa takes part on Thursday in a ceremony occasioned by the departure of the Romanian troops of the Infantry Battalion 811 “Dej on a mission to Afghanistan. According to the Defence Ministry, for six months the Romanian military will carry out primarily protection missions at the Kandahar air base in the south, will secure communication routes and advise the Afghan security forces. Between 2002 and 2005 the Dej Battalion took part in missions in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in many national and international exercises. Another 623 Romanian troops are also deployed in Afghanistan, where 23 Romanians died in international missions in the past few years.

The Romanian diplomat Traian Hristea was appointed head of the EU delegation in Kazakhstan, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday. The decision was made by the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, which on July 28th announced the new organisational chart of the European External Action Service. Traian Hristea previously held the same position in Armenia, between 2011 and 2015. He was the Ambassador of Romania to Kiev between 2005 and 2010. At present 14 Romanian officials work with the European External Action Service, eight of them in the central offices in Brussels and six in EU delegations.

In Expo Milano 2015 Wednesday was Romanias Day, celebrated concurrently with the National Anthem Day. A number of events were organised in order to spark interest in the Romanian culture and business environment. Attending the event, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Valeriu Zgonea said the presence in Italy of the largest community of Romanians living abroad, as well as the excellent bilateral economic relations, are the foundation of a consolidated strategic partnership. Italys Deputy Minister for Agricultural Policies, Andrea Olivero, said Romania and Italy are strategic partners in the EU, which explains the improved level of bilateral economic exchanges. The events devoted to Romania included a business and investment forum, attended by Romanian and Italian business people, and traditional music and dance performances.

The Turkish military aviation Wednesday carried on its raids on Kurdish sites in northern Iraq. Also on Wednesday Ankara officially authorised the USA to use the air base in Incirlik to launch air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria. The attack launched Tuesday night by the Turkish air forces against the Kurdish rebels came just hours after Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the de facto suspension of the 2013 truce with PKK, stating that it was “impossible for negotiations to go on as long as Kurdish fighters attack Turkeys security forces. Last week Ankara moved against the IS and Kurdish rebels after a suicide attack killed 32 people in Suruc, near the Syrian border on July 20th.

The Romanian athlete Georgiana Aniţei Wednesday won the gold and set a new competition record in the triple jump event of the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), held in Tbilisi. This is the second gold medal for Romania in this years festival, after the one brought by the swimmer Maria Claudia Gâdea, in the 400-m freestyle event. Sixty-six Romanian athletes take part in six of the nine sports in the competition: athletics, judo, gymnastics, swimming, handball (girls) and tennis. Taking part are over 3,800 athletes from 50 countries.

29 July 2015
The Armenian History Lesson

“In the past century, our human family has lived through three massive and unprecedented tragedies. The first, which is widely considered the first genocide of the 20th century, struck the Armenian people,” he said, referencing a 2000 declaration by Pope John Paul II and the head of the Armenian Church. The other two were perpetrated by Nazism and Stalinism, Pope Francis added. According to Yerevan, 1.5 million ethnic Armenians, accounting for half of the Armenian population of the time, and who have been canonised by the Armenian Church, were killed between 1915 and 1917, the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

Turkey officially denies that the Ottoman Empire organised the systematic killing of ethnic Armenians during World War 1, and disapproves of the word “genocide” used by Armenia, many historians and 20 other countries, including France, Italy and Russia. Ankara promptly protested the use of the term by the Pope, and claimed that between 300 and 500 thousand ethnic Armenians and as many Turks had lost their lives in the inter-communal violence during those years. Turkey also accused some of the members of the European Parliament of “religious and cultural fanaticism,” after they endorsed a resolution on the commemoration of the mass killing and deportation of ethnic Armenians in the last years of the Ottoman Empire, while Turkish diplomats claimed the European Union’s legislative body is again attempting to re-write history. This was in reference to a resolution adopted by the EP to mark the 100th anniversary of the events during World War 2, a resolution which urges Turkey, the successor state of the Ottoman Empire, to come to terms with the past and acknowledge the massacre of ethnic Armenians as genocide. Professor Constantin Hlihor has an explanation for Turkey’s attitude.

Constantin Hlihor: “In international law, this kind of dramatic event created a certain image for the states that implemented this kind of policy, aimed at wiping out an ethnic group, a nation. And this is a negative image, particularly if we look at what happened in the mid-20th century, during World War II, with the mass killing of Jews by Hitler’s Germany and the massacre perpetrated by the Stalinist regime against its own people.”

According to Constantin Hlihor, history should be a bridge contributing to stability and to cooperation between nations, and not a destabilising factor, fuelling hatred and animosity. But when discussing the Armenian issue, two elements need to be taken into consideration, says Constantin Hlihor.

Constantin Hlihor: “One is the historical aspect, and we need to tell the truth about the tragedy facing the ethnic Armenians during World War I. The second aspect, which generates disputes between various states, is political in nature, and it has to do with how we define these events. The Turks do not accept the concept of ‘genocide’, on grounds that this international law concept is relatively new, it appeared after World War II and it refers to other historical events than the ones of the early 20th century. But irrespective of how we look at these elements, one thing is clear: in the Southern Caucasus, a nation, the Armenian one, part of an empire which was declining in terms of international relations and of a society that had failed to modernise and to move on to a new development stage, the Ottoman society, experienced something that we today cannot and should not forget. On the other hand, this quest for historical truth must not be allowed to gain political undertones, because history must not divide people, historical truth must not set one human community against another. History should be a bridge, it should help create more stability, more trust and more cooperation.”

But is this only a matter of image, or do the potential compensations also play a role in the dispute? Here is Professor Constantin Hlihor once again:

Constantin Hlihor: “The question of compensation for the families of those who suffered in the dramatic events that started in the town of Van and of the ethnic Armenians deported to the Desert of Syria is one that has nothing to do with history and everything to do with international law. For this, Armenia or another actor would have to initiate a lawsuit similar to what happened after World War II against the Nazi regime, and then we could talk about compensation.”

In Bucharest, the former foreign minister Titus Corlatean, currently an honorary adviser to the Prime Minister, said Romania encourages a dialogue between Turkey and Armenia with respect to this very delicate topic. During the tragic events 100 years ago, the humanitarian organisations of the time, diplomats, doctors and common people helped the ethnic Armenians forced to flee their homes, and Romania is one of the countries that received and gave asylum to tens of thousands of Armenian refugees.

2 May 2015
Romanian -Turkish ties

Romania and Turkey have common goals and mutual interests, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday in Bucharest after talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two officials discussed issues mainly related to security and economic cooperation. President Iohannis has said that Turkey’s participation in the setting up of a NATO command center in Romania has a special importance.

According to the Romanian official, the economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries is a strong point in the bilateral relations. Iohannis reminded that Turkey is Romania’s biggest commercial partner outside the EU and reiterated Bucharest’s support for Ankara’s EU accession.

Klaus Iohannis: “Among the things that unite us is our NATO partnership, the cooperation in various fields, especially the economic one and the fact that Romania supports Turkey in its EU accession process. “

In his turn, the Turkish President has also talked about strengthening bilateral ties and about the two countries’ excellent collaboration within NATO. Erdogan has also said that Turkey is a peace supporter in the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Balkan and the Caucasus regions. Moreover, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pointed out that a ‘ring of fire’, an allusion to the ongoing congflicts in Iraq, Syria, Ukraine and Crimea, surround his country. On the other hand, the Turkish official has also said that he wants Romanian and Turkish businessmen to go together to foreign markets in order to become stronger and has pointed out there are new investment opportunities on the Romanian market.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan: “As you know, our relationship with Romania has reached the Strategic Partnership level and I believe bilateral trade can be further developed. There are companies willing to invest in Romania if they get the support they need.”

Although the Turkish official has shortened his visit to Romania because of some violent incidents in Istanbul, he has participated, alongside PM Victor Ponta, in a Romanian-Turkish business forum. Erdogan has pleaded for the development of the economic ties and has reminded that he and the Romanian Prime Minister have set the goal of increasing bilateral trade to 10 billion dollars from 6.3 billion dollars at present. In his turn, Victor Ponta has said the two countries plan to carry out joint energy, infrastructure and agriculture projects. PM Ponta has pointed out he wants Romania to make the same progress Turkey made in terms of economy and infrastructure.

2 April 2015