Presidents Gul and Komorowski meet in Warsaw. Photo: PAP/Pawel Supernak
Speaking after their meeting on Monday morning, Bronislaw Komorowski said that there are few countries in Europe which have such long-standing diplomatic ties.
“In 2014, Polish-Turkish diplomatic relations will have gone on for 600 years,” President Komorowski said.
Komorowski added that he and his Turkish opposite number will be the patrons of the 600th anniversary jubilee of bilateral relations between the two countries.
Abdullah Gul underlined that while diplomatic relations have gone on for so long, Poland and Turkey are also important allies in strategic cooperation.
“As allies our joint relations have continuously developed in a positive direction of the years. We said that our bilateral relations can still be developed in areas relating to business, as we are two countries in the region which currently are developing the fastest,” President Gul said.
During his visit, the Turkish president is to meet with Prime Minister Donald Tusk as well as with both parliamentary speakers.
Turkey still an EU hopeful
The main topics on the agenda for President Gul's visit are Turkey’s EU aspirations, which Poland supports, as well as the ongoing situation in North Africa and economic cooperation.
Abdullah Gul thanked Poland for its continuing support for Turkey’s aspirations to join the European Union, which have been ongoing since 1987.
“I hope that during Poland’s EU Council Presidency the technical aspects concerning Turkey’s accession to the European Union will be approached,” Gul said, adding that “we hope that the entire period of Poland’s presidency will speed up negotiations.”
However, President Komorowski said that while one fo the priorities of Poland’s EU Council presidency is keep the EU open to new members, the economic climate still proves an obstacle.
“Everyone currently knows that now is not the best time to admit new members to the EU, Komorowski said, adding that “it is a time of financial crisis, and there are the events in North Africa [that need to be taken into account].”
“In order to enable success, there need to be two actions undertaken simultaneously which meet at the middle: domestic reform and the acceptance of the EU to keep its structures open,” noted Komorowski.
President Komorowski is to host a dinner for the Turkish presidential couple at the Royal Castle in Warsaw this evening. (jb/pg)
Source: IAR