Recep Tayyip Erdogan, invited to Romania by Nicușor Dan. Topics of interest in the relationship with Turkey
President Recep Erdogan, Photo: Pool Presidential Press Service / AP / Profimedia Images
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oana Ţoiu, sent to his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, on Friday, an official invitation from President Nicusor Dan for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to make an official state visit to Romania during the next year, informs Agerpres.
Turkey is still Romania's main commercial partner outside the European Union and the first non-EU destination of Romanian exports, said Oana Ţoiu, visiting Ankara, during a joint press conference with Hakan Fidan.
Security at the Black Sea, a major concern in Bucharest
“I appreciated, moreover, very important during this period, Turkey's support regarding Romania's accession to the OECD. I reiterated the progress we have made in this direction and the Government's objective to complete this process at the beginning of 2026. We still have a number of milestones where we have already made the necessary reforms and we rely on Turkey's support as before”, said the head of Romanian diplomacy, after the talks with the Turkish Foreign Minister.
According to her, the upward dynamic in political and economic terms is linked to the “strong” human connection between the two nations. “We greatly appreciate the Turkish and Tatar communities in Romania, outstanding models of integration. Together with the Romanian community in Turkey, they have a key role in strengthening the ties between our countries,” she said.
Oana Ţoiu also highlighted cooperation in the field of security. “I emphasized Romania's interest in intensifying cooperation with Turkey and Bulgaria, both within NATO and at the regional level, in order to strengthen NATO's position on the Eastern Flank and protect the security of the Black Sea. The collaboration within the Naval Mine Countermeasures Group is already a success, an internationally recognized success of our cooperation and a model that can really be extended to other fields and is becoming a good practice that other countries are looking at carefully,” she pointed out.
Turkey remains a candidate state and a key partner of the EU in essential areas of collaboration, added the Romanian Foreign Minister.
Oana Țoiu, visiting Turkey
Recent developments in the Middle East were also on the agenda of the discussions. “I welcomed the agreement regarding the cease-fire in Gaza and the release of the hostages. I appreciated the essential role played by Turkey, along with the USA, Qatar and Egypt, in achieving this progress. I conveyed to my counterpart Romania's gratitude for Turkey's involvement in the release of all the hostages left alive, including an Israeli citizen of Romanian origin”, said Ţoiu.
At this stage, she indicated, it is necessary to intensify diplomatic efforts, as well as humanitarian assistance for Gaza and unblock any issues that are now obstacles in this access.
“Romania continues to actively contribute to this effort from the humanitarian perspective of flights for children who must have access to oncological treatment. The most recent flight took place recently with patients who remained in Romania, and some of them were supported to reach the Netherlands in our partnership with this country”, explained Oana Ţoiu.
She reiterated Romania's commitment to support a just and lasting peace, based on the solution of the two states, Israel and Palestine, that coexist in peace and security.
On the occasion of the visit to Ankara, Minister Oana Ţoiu also participated in the debate “Partners in Resilience: Advancing Cooperation between Romania and Turkey”, organized by the Foundation for Research in Economic Policies of Turkey (TEPAV) in collaboration with the German Marshall Fund and dedicated to the prospects for the development of Romanian-Turkish relations bilaterally and on the regional dimension of cooperation on the Black Sea.
Discussions focused on the following topics: connectivity and the need to continue expanding cooperation in strategic sectors such as energy, renewable sources and transport; success stories in joint production and opportunities to advance industrial cooperation, including with a focus on defense; maritime security, including joint demining efforts, cooperation as allies and promising lines of work resulting from the EU strategy for the Black Sea region.
On Thursday evening, Oana Ţoiu met in Istanbul with members of the Romanian community in the area.
