Turkey and Romania sign a strategic partnership document
YAYINLAMA
GÜNCELLEME
President Abdullah Gull welcomed Romanian President Traian Basescu at the Cankaya Presidential Palace on Monday as part of a ceremony in which a 21-gun salute was fired and national anthems of the two countries were played. The two presidents signed a strategic partnership document which aims to boost the fight against terrorism, as well as cooperation in security, economy and foreign policy. Speaking at a joint press conference organized after the meeting, Basescu said, "Romania fully and resolutely supports Turkey's EU bid." President Gul thanked his Romanian counterpart for this country's support for Turkish membership in the EU. "We are very pleased to have the sincere support of Romania regarding the EU and we are grateful," he said. Gul noted that President Basescu, formerly a sea captain, knows the Bosporus very well. "He is one of the people who know Bosporus very well. As a long-distance captain, he has steered many boats across treacherous waters under the worst weather conditions thanks to his full knowledge of every inch of the Bosporus. He has often shared memories of such times with me". Basescu said that the EU needed Turkey as much as Turkey needed the EU." Reiterating his country's strong support for Turkey's membership bid to the EU, the Romanian president said, "In [our] relations with our European colleagues, we continue to advocate the need for the EU to send more positive signals to Turkey."