UPDATE - Türkiye, Albania contributing to peace in Balkans as NATO allies, says President Erdogan

UPDATES WITH MORE QUOTES FROM TURKISH PRESIDENT, ADDS SIGNED AGREEMENTS, MINOR EDITS

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye and Albania are two members of the NATO alliance who play a role in maintaining peace and stability in the Balkans region, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday.

“Türkiye and Albania are two NATO allies contributing to the preservation of peace and stability in the Balkans,” Erdogan told a joint news conference in the capital Ankara with Edi Rama, Albania’s prime minister, who is paying a one-day official visit.

Erdogan further said that Albania was on “the right side of the history” in a UN General Assembly vote last December in favor of an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, stressing the crucial importance of its solidarity with the “oppressed Palestinian people” at this time, over four months into Israeli onslaught in Gaza, which has taken nearly 30,000 lives.

On the subject of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), a group that mounted a failed coup in Türkiye in 2016 but continues to infiltrate and threaten other countries, Erdogan said: “We will not allow the nefarious network attempting to poison our relations through the FETO terrorist organization to succeed; we will continue our fight against them.”

About bilateral relations between Türkiye and Albania, the Turkish president said that "multifaceted cooperation" between Ankara and Tirana continues to evolve on the “basis of a strategic partnership.”

He added that Türkiye has elevated its trade volume with Albania to the level of $1 billion, and now they seek to double it to $2 billion.

"With the first meeting of the council we conducted today, we once again affirmed our determination to elevate our relations to further levels,” Erdogan said.

“We are eager to deepen our collaboration in the defense industry and military field,” he added.

Erdogan further stated that Türkiye’s support for projects aimed at the development of Albania through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) will continue.

He added that Türkiye and Albania will maintain their contacts as part of initiatives to be undertaken in the upcoming period.

A number of agreements were also signed between the two sides. They included a cooperation protocol between Türkiye’s national broadcaster TRT and Albanian Radio Television, a memorandum of understanding on media and communication cooperation between Türkiye’s Communications Directorate and Albania’s Media and Information Agency, and a memorandum of understanding on sustainable management of forests and protected areas between the Turkish government and Albania’s Council of Ministers.

Also signed are a military framework agreement between the Turkish government and Albanian government, an agreement between the Turkish government and Albania’s Council of Ministers on development cooperation and the status of the TIKA Program Coordination Office in Albania, a memorandum of understanding on environmental cooperation between Türkiye’s Environment, Urbanism and Climate Change Ministry and Albania’s Tourism and Environment Ministry.

Turkish relations with the Balkan nation of Albania derive their strength from shared history and strong social and cultural bonds, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.