Prime Minister Edi Rama has embarked on an official visit to Ankara, where he was welcomed with a state ceremony by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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| Rama and Erdogan sign one of the agreements, February 20, 2024 |
During his stay, Rama has signed several agreements with President Erdogan.
Agreements and Memoranda signed today to further strengthen cooperation between Albania and Turkey:
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Tourism and Environment of the Republic of Albania and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change of the Republic of Turkey for cooperation in the field of environment.
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Tourism and Environment of the Republic of Albania and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey for sustainable forest and protected area management.
• Agreement between the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania and the Government of the Republic of Turkey on the status of the TIKA Tirana coordination office.
• Military framework agreement between the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania and the Government of the Republic of Turkey.
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Albania and the Government of the Republic of Turkey in the fields of Media and Communication for communication and public information.
• Cooperation Protocol between the Turkish Radio Television Corporation and the Albanian Radio Television.
During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Rama, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that Albania and Turkey would work reciprocally to boost investments and business ties.
Erdogan stated that part of the discussion with Prime Minister Rama included cooperation in defense and military matters, which was finalized in an agreement between the two countries.
"We exchanged views on developments in the region and the world. We will continue our dialogue regarding the Balkans, and we are determined to deepen cooperation in defense and military matters, as evidenced by the agreement we signed," said Erdogan.
Regarding the economic aspect, Erdogan emphasized that Turkey would continue to support Albania's development. According to him, this support will be realized through the TIKA agency and the cooperation agreement with the office in Tirana.
"We will mutually work to increase investments and develop business sector connections. We will continue our support for Albania's development through the TIKA agency. The agreement we signed regarding TIKA will further strengthen our cooperation. In 2021, we promised to build a hospital in Albania within three months, and together with Mr. Rama, we made a pledge, and thankfully to God, we fulfilled it," Erdogan added.
Erdogan also mentioned that part of the agenda was the eradication of what he described as "FETO remnants" in Albania.
"We will continue to stand by the Albanian people. Part of our agenda was the eradication of FETO remnants in Albania, which continues its activities aimed at casting a shadow over our relations, but we will not allow this. Albanian authorities are aware of this. Our fight against this structure will continue, and I thank them for their contribution," Erdogan concluded.
While Rama thanked the Turkish government for its contribution and assistance to the Albanians of Albania and Kosovo in their most difficult moments.
"Albania cannot forget that thanks to you, Kosovo was recognized as an Independent Republic a few minutes after the parliament declared independence. You helped us after the earthquake and initiated the construction of 500 apartments. Thirdly, when we and the Western Balkans felt like fish out of water when the coronavirus hit, if it weren't for Turkey and you (Erdogan), we would have had thousands of casualties. The Memorial Hospital built by Turkey is a pioneer in transforming healthcare in Albania. It has started the model of hospital autonomy. We look forward to the Turkish University in Tirana, which will give students the opportunity to attend a world-class university. We had 10 million tourists, and from Turkey, the number of tourists increased by 30%. Turkish investments have reached 3.7 billion euros, and we expect more. We need to increase the trade volume to 1 billion euros," said Rama.