Rama and Erdogan sign cooperation agreements in Turkey

2024-02-20 22:34:00, Aktualitet CNA

Prime Minister Edi Rama and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a cooperation agreement today in Turkey.

Rama and Erdogan have signed agreements such as the one between the two radio and television stations, the Albanian and the Turkish, the agreement on tourism cooperation and the agreement on the management of protected areas.

In his speech, Rama thanked Erdogan for the help he has given to Albania by listing three cases, such as: the recognition of Kosovo, the help after the earthquake and the help in the period of the Coronavirus, and also mentioned the investment in the Fier Memorial Hospital.

The full speech of Prime Minister Edi Rama

Mr. President, I cannot help clarifying that we have not bet on the hospital, that betting in Turkey is prohibited by law, while in Albania it is only allowed online. I remember well that I told you that I can't bet, but you bet with Albanians who know your word "it's said, it's done" and that hospital was, I believe, the first public investment in the world with 3 million supervisors , every day and you won the bet with the Albanians.

Having said that, I want to thank you publicly for your hospitality and I want to say, perhaps repeating it, but I believe that whenever there is talk at this level about the relationship with Turkey, Albanians, Albania, Kosovo cannot forget three things that remain, I believe, in our national memory for today and tomorrow.

First, thanks to you and your government, Kosovo was recognized as an independent Republic a few minutes after its Parliament declared independence.

Second, when Albania was hit by an earthquake with extremely serious consequences, you were the first to communicate with me, you told me that, as long as Turkey is, Albania will never be alone, and you took the public initiative for the immediate start of construction of 500 new apartments.

Third, when Albania, the Albanian people together with the other peoples of our region, of the Western Balkans, felt like a fish out of water at the moment when the world was hit by the coronavirus and as we watched the start of vaccination in Europe on European television screens, if it wouldn't be Turkey and if it weren't for you personally, who knows how many people would have lost their lives and these are three moments, in a way, between life and death that can never be forgotten.

Then, of course, there is much to say. You mentioned the hospital, but apart from setting it up in record time, it's not your only record in your public affairs, as far as I know. What is even more important is that today that hospital is a reference point always and most desired for Albanian citizens in need of treatment and it is simultaneously a reflection of an ongoing cooperation with a joint team of Albanian and Turkish doctors. In the same way, it is also the vanguard of a further transformation of our health system because thanks to the experience that is universally recognized as a success, Turkey's experience in the transformation of the health system and which is conveyed to us by a group of managers made available by the Ministry of Turkey's health, there has started the model of hospital autonomy, which is another reform of our health system and which we are very confident will take the service to a new level, but also the fair and meritocratic remuneration of doctors to a level other.

We are extremely pleased to see progress with, as you said, the commitment of the Maarif foundation in Albania, but we look forward to the materialization of the project that will bring the Istanbul Technical University to Tirana, a jewel of Turkish excellence in education, recognized worldwide, which will give opportunities to Albanian students, but also to other students in the region, to be able to access a world-class university.

We have made progress and we are determined to make even more progress in the field of defense and security. I am very pleased, Mr. President, that last year, apart from Albania reaching a record number of over 10 million tourists, the number of tourists from Turkey increased by 30% and we see a great potential in this aspect as well.

I am convinced that you are not upset when Turkish tourists come to Albania and do not go to Antalya and I am sure that your Minister of Tourism will promote investments in the field of tourism as here Turkey has created a level of excellence and definitely for us Turkish investments are welcome. We have reached the figure of 3.7 billion euros, but as you also underlined at the meeting of the High Strategic Council, the potential is for much more, not to mention the commercial volume that we have to raise with everyone. at least over 1 billion euros and here now it would be good if I proposed to you to make a bet so that you would get into the seder and we would succeed in this, but the bets in Turkey are still prohibited.

Thank you very much for the driving permits that you approved and now Albanians will be able to move freely with their vehicles, with driving permits. In this case, you approved us after Germany, but we understand the delay.

Beyond all these, as always, it was an honor, a privilege, a pleasure to listen to the President on his opinions on the region, but also on the situation in the conflict zones that have disturbed the whole world. As always, I have found the President wholeheartedly interested in the progress of our region, in the progress of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia and in his desire that progress and peace in the region be stronger every day.

We also shared with the President the opinions on the conflict in Ukraine. I informed him that in the next few days in Tirana, together with President Zelensky, we will hold a summit of the countries of Southeast Europe where Turkey is also invited, and I am grateful that despite the busy agenda and the impossibility to be physically in Tirana, The President has gladly agreed to address the summit through a direct link from his office with a message.

We share, there is no question, the pain and concern about what is happening in Gaza. We are convinced that it is time for a ceasefire which should be linked to the release of the hostages and should definitely be guaranteed in our view by a joint force of the five countries of the Middle East and Turkey. For us, I have shared with the president, Turkey is an irreplaceable actor in guaranteeing tomorrow for Gaza and for Israel itself, along with the other 5 countries, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Emirates, Jordan and Egypt. Of course, if we share the same view on the necessity of two states, this solution requires its own guarantees, and there is no doubt that a union of Arab countries with Turkey in the conditions where the need for guarantees and for the re-creation of a trust after the massacre of innocent people in Israel and then all these destructions that have occurred is so great that without it it will be impossible for there to be any return to reason.

In closing, I want to thank you once again, in addition to the president without question, and all the members of the cabinet. I want to thank the Foreign Minister who visited us recently and who is an old and invaluable friend of Albania and Albanians. I want to thank without question and all the ministers who, following the spirit and directions that were given in the last meeting that we held here in Ankara, have guaranteed that this cooperation has an extremely important structural deepening and that gives us a lot of desire to deep and a lot of optimism for the future.