Erdogan welcomes Moldovan counterpart

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday welcomed his Moldovan counterpart Vladimir Filat in an official ceremony. Prior to the welcoming ceremony, President Abdullah Gul also received Filat at the Cankaya Presidential Palace, where he also had lunch with Erdogan. Afterwards, Erdogan met with Filat at his office, and then the two leaders held a joint press conference. Speaking to reporters, Erdogan said he and Gul had indeed said the same thing when commenting on claims that there is a "double-headed" administration in the country. "Those who try to put the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government into a difficult situation are likely to fail in pitting the prime minister against the president. They should not waste their energy. Some from the Turkish media are keen to do this and continue to try," he said. For his part, Filat said that he has felt honored to have met with Gul, Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek and then Erdogan, and then he realized that everything is alright in your country. During the press conference, Filat was presented a replica of the sword of Stefan Cel Mare, a national hero of Moldova, by Erdogan. In return, Filat received the sword, kissed it and said "thank you" in Turkish. On the sidelines of Filat’s visit, a visa exemption agreement was also signed between Moldova and Turkey.