President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced new travel regulations enabling Romanian citizens to visit Türkiye using only their ID cards, aiming to strengthen human relations between the two nations.
During a joint press conference with Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, Erdoğan expressed satisfaction with hosting Ciolacu and his delegation for the first meeting of the High-level Strategic Cooperation Council. Erdoğan highlighted the continuous improvement of Türkiye-Romania relations through mutual high-level visits and noted the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2011.
Erdoğan emphasized that economic and commercial ties are the backbone of bilateral relations, with the mutual trade volume surpassing $10 billion for two consecutive years and a target set at $15 billion. He acknowledged the significant contributions of approximately 19,000 Turkish companies operating in Romania, with their investments nearing $8 billion.
Erdoğan also pointed out the collaboration in the defense industry and military fields, highlighting the deployment of four Turkish F-16 warplanes in Romanian airspace as part of the NATO air policing mission. Additionally, he mentioned the formation of a mine countermeasures task group in the Black Sea with Bulgaria.
The discussions also included cooperation in energy and the fight against terrorism, with Erdoğan sharing Türkiye’s expectations from Romania in combating terrorist organizations like PKK and FETO. He appreciated the harmonious coexistence of the Turkish and Tatar communities in Romania, thanking Romanian authorities for their support.