Serbia, Turkey say ties better than ever
Serbia and Turkey say their ties are better than ever now as they both face hurdles to their goals of joining the European Union.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Serbia’s President Boris Tadic said Monday in Belgrade that their two countries have developed a “strategic partnership.”
Gul says Turkey wants to invest in Serbia’s infrastructure, such as highways.
Tadic says Serbia and Turkey support each other’s stalled EU integration.
Serbia must arrest war crimes fugitives to move forward in joining the EU, while Turkey has faced criticism for its human rights record.
Ties between Belgrade and Ankara were strained during the 1990s Serb-Muslim conflict in Bosnia.
“We had a number of misunderstandings in the past, but we want to see our future as that of understanding and friendship,” Tadic said but believes that Turkey and Serbia represent unavoidable factors in the resolution of all issues that were important for the region.
“Our disagreement over Kosovo must not bring harm to our relations and disrupt them,” Tadic said.
Gul acknowledged the “strategic partnership” and said that Serbia has a key role in the stability, security and prosperity of the Balkans.
“In the position that we are in, we intend to channel the relations towards a strategic cooperation. We share this goal and it is achievable, because despite the fact that we do not share any borders, we always look at Serbia as our neighbor. This is the main message I will convey to my friend President Tadic and Serbian officials during my visit,” President Gul said.
Gul is the first Turkish president to visit Serbia in the past 23 years.
“We are aware of Serbia’s sensitivity, and we understand it, in regards to the issue of Kosovo. Our recognition of the independence of Kosovo, whose people we have strong ties with and whose independence came as a result of a long-term engagement of the international community, is not directed against Serbia. This stand should not be an obstacle for the development of the relations between Turkey and Serbia,” said President Gul.
October 26, 2009
Associated Press | Tanjug | Serbianna
Tadic sold out Serbia a long time ago!
The only way truly forward for the Serbian people and nation is to restore our tarnished pride and wounded honour. To avenge the mutilation of our motherland and the humiliation of being separated from our holy lands by the means of force.
Our nation was bombed to it’s knees because of unjust causes. One of the perpetrators of this injustidce was the Turkish nation, which has never brought anything but pain to the Serbian people. Why would we want anykind of partnership with them? This is a DISGRACE.
I wonder what Turkey and her allies (USA and EU) would think about giving our Armenian brother back the land that the Turks TOOK,our by giving the Kurds there land the Turks TOOK…Interesting!As for Tadic his aim is to sell Serbia and the Serbian people to the Devils themselves (USA and EU)
long live TADIC, he is a great man who supports peace in the balkans, at a new war serbia will be destroyed
At what price?