​PRESIDENT OF MOLDOVA AND AMBASSADOR OF TURKEY DISCUSS COOPERATION DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

On Friday, Moldova President Igor Dodon and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Turkey to the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Gurol Sokmensuer, discussed the development of the multifaceted relationship between the two countries.

"In the course of the conversation, we stated with satisfaction the upward dynamic of the Moldova-Turkey political dialog and the advanced level of bilateral relations developing in various fields. We were unanimous in the opinion that the official visit paid to Turkey by the Head of the Moldovan State last December 29-30 was successful. In the course of that visit, the two countries held the first sitting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, at which 4 important Agreements were signed", President Dodon wrote on his Facebook page afterwards.

The President expressed gratitude to the leadership of Turkey for the financial and technical assistance rendered to Moldova via the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA). In recent years, TIKA furnished nearly US$40 million for the realization of various projects in Moldova. And last week, Igor Dodon agreed with the Head of the TIKA Chisinau Office Selda Ozdenoglu upon the joint realization of several investment projects here.

President Dodon did not report if the interlocutors discussed cooperation in the education field, Turkish education or whether or not the meeting was attended by representatives of the Turkish education fund Maarif. In the course of Igor Dodon's December visit to Ankara, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked the Moldovan leadership, in the person of President Dodon, for the extradition home of seven Turkey citizens from among the teachers of the Orizont Network lyceums.

"We are witnesses to the demonstration of our strategic cooperation, and in this regard Moldova has rendered a colossal assistance to us, and we want to thank them for their great help. It is expected that the schools will be passed over under the administration of the Maarif Fund of our country. The Moldovan Ministry of Education and the Turkish Fund can cooperate so as to make further steps", Recep Tayyip Erdogan said then.

Commenting on that statement, President Igor Dodon said in Chisinau that the gratitude had been expressed not to him but to the former leadership of Moldova who took the decision on the extradition of the Turkish teachers. Dodon also said that the Orizont lyceums may not be passed over to anybody because they are in private ownership, and therefore the Moldovan authorities may not command them.

At the same time, on January 24 Moldovan Minister of Education, Culture and Sciences Corneliu Popovici met with Ambassador Gurol Sokmensuer and President of the Maarif education fund of Turkey Birol Akgun, who is visiting Moldova this week, negotiating the questions of broadening of Moldova-Turkey cooperation in the education field.