Albanian PM holds contacts with Gul, Erdogan and Cicek

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday hosted a dinner in honor of Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha in Ankara who is currently in Turkey for a series of diplomatic talks with Turkish senior officials. Speaking to reporters with Berisha, Erdogan said Turkey strongly supports the European Union membership of Albania as Turkey's NATO ally and congratulated the 100th anniversary of independence of the country. Erdogan also said he discussed military, political and economic relations with Albania with his counterpart, adding, "The trade volume between Turkey and Albania amounts to $400 million, which falls short of the real potential of the two countries. More than 30 Turkish entrepreneurs are investing in Albania today and their investment exceeds $1 billion," Erdogan said, adding that Turkey increased its investments in Albania nine times in the past five years and even eyes more investments in the period ahead. Berisha also visited Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek at the Parliament. During his visit, Berisha said that the Turkish Parliament consists of more people with Albanian roots than in other countries, which is an indication of deep ties between the two countries. Berisha also held contacts with President Abdullah Gul at the Esenboga Airport in Ankara.