Erdogan visits Ukraine to foster strategic ties

On the last day of a two-day visit to Kiev yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych about the possibility of bilateral cooperation between the two countries at a strategic level. "We are now entering a new stage of relations between Turkey and Ukraine, as countries that have stable, predictable, partnership relations," the Ukrainian media quoted Yanukovych as saying during his meeting with Erdogan. "I hope that we will, as usual, have a friendly conversation, resulting in the establishment of a strategic partnership between Ukraine and Turkey. I'm sure that the time has come and decisive steps should be taken," Yanukovych added, according to his office. "European integration remains a firm priority for Ukraine, and we are grateful for Turkey supporting" Ukraine's European Union integration, he said. For his part, Erdogan said that the signing of a joint declaration on the establishment of a high-level strategic council, scheduled for later yesterday, would promote stronger ties between Ukraine and Turkey. Erdogan was accompanied on his visit by a huge business delegation, as well as by Energy Minister Taner Yildiz, Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergun, Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim, and State Minister Zafer Caglayan. Erdogan, speaking in Ankara on Monday before his trip, underlined his personal friendship with Yanukovych, calling his visit overdue. Sergei Levochkin, secretary-general of the Ukranian president's office, meanwhile, said cooperation with Turkey, with which it shares a long coastal border, is an issue of principle for his country. "Turkey is one of the leaders of the Black Sea basin," the Anatolia news agency quoted him as saying. "There are very interesting economic developments in Turkey. Turkey is seeing a huge leap in investments. We believe that coordinating joint efforts with Turkey will bring significant economic advantages."