Opinions & Interviews

ANKARA, 14 October (BelTA) - The Belarus-Turkey inter-parliamentary cooperation should be intensified at the level of friendship groups, Anatoly Rubinov, Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, said during his meeting with Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Cemil Cicek on 14 October, BelTA has learned.

Anatoly Rubinov expects that the friendship groups of both parliaments will agree on further strengthening of ties during the current visit of the Belarusian delegation to Turkey. “We have no problematic issues in our relations. We have had no conflicts in the course of the history, so it is natural for Belarus and Turkey to develop cooperation. We highly appreciate the diligence, creativity, and sincerity of the Turkish people. We are ready to strengthen ties with our Turkish partners,” the Chairman of the Council of the Republic said.

Anatoly Rubinov thanked his Turkish counterpart for the invitation to come to Turkey with an official visit. He noted that the history of Turkey over the last 200 years is really impressive: it took the Turkish people so little time to unite their efforts, defend their independence, and create an amazing country.

In turn, Cemil Cicek said that he visited Belarus in 2013 and emphasized that during that visit he demonstrated eagerness to develop ties with Belarus even if there is a negative influence produced by a third party. “We are still determined to strengthen our cooperation,” Cemil Cicek said.

“The relations between our countries are warm and sincere. They lay the foundation for friendly ties. We are proud to have been the first country to recognize the independence of the Republic of Belarus. This clearly shows that the cooperation with your country is among the priorities for Turkey,” he noted. Besides, Cemil Cicek noted that Belarus and Turkey have no significant problems in their relations.