President Gül Hosts Official Dinner in Honor of President Berzins of Latvia

President Abdullah Gül hosted an official dinner in honor of President Anders Berzins of Latvia at the Çankaya Presidential Palace. Declaring Latvia to be Turkey’s good friend, President Gül said that “the sensitivity you attach to our relations at the highest level emanates from a historical responsibility indeed. Next year we will mark the 90th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the mutual opening of our embassies in our capitals.” 

President Abdullah Gül hosted an official dinner in honor of President Anders Berzins of Latvia at the Çankaya Presidential Palace 

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF TURKISH-LATVIAN RELATIONS 

President Gül, sharing his happiness at hosting his Latvian counterpart in Ankara, said “you have brought warm breeze from Riga, the 2014 European Capital of Culture. The sensitivity you attach to our relations at the highest level emanates from a historical responsibility indeed. Next year we will mark the 90th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the mutual opening of our embassies in our capitals.” 

The President later noted what Latvia means to the Turkish people, saying: “Latvia is the land where the Ottoman soldiers who were wounded in the 1877-1878 Russo-Ottoman War were taken and where they died. This is why we have a cemetery of martyrs there. Latvia to the Turkish people is also a country which rose from its ashes following the Great War and which is in love with independence. It is a good friend with which our country signed a Friendship Agreement back in 1925. Therefore, Turkey never recognized the occupation of Latvia by the Soviet army in 1944. After the end of the Cold War, both countries met again under the roof of the European-Atlantic family. Latvia today is a loyal ally that we can trust in peace and war since 2004, when it became a member of NATO. It is an expectation of both countries that this amity should be crowned under the EU roof in the shortest time possible.” 

LATVIAN SUCCESS STORY 

Evincing his belief that the term presidency of the EU which Latvia will assume next year is important in implementing this common expectation, President Gül said that “as we strongly supported Latvia in its membership in NATO, we also expect Latvia to continue to stand by Turkey in its accession process toward the EU. I hereby would like to offer my congratulations to Latvia on the 10th anniversary of its memberships in the EU and NATO. We are appreciating Latvian economic performance in the last four years. We have no doubt that Latvia, which has proved itself in the political and military areas, will crown its success story through its membership in the OECD.” 

The President further noted that Turkish and Latvian national football teams will have a match as part of the qualification for 2016 European Championship, which he said should be evaluated, as he added this match will be the first such game in 90 years between the two countries. “We can hand down the beautiful memories of the first match in Riga to the next generations in order to boost our cooperation and friendship,” he reiterated. The President later expressed his hope that the existing friendship between Turkey and Latvia lasts for good. 

PRESIDENT BERZINS POINTS TO MUTUAL RESPECT AND FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN TURKEY AND LATVIA 

As for President Berzins, he shared his pleasure to be paying a state visit to Turkey and emphaszied the friendship and mutual respect both countries have for each other. He further underscored the dynamic political and economic cooperation between Turkey and Latvia, saying: “The resoluteness we have demonstrated today toward the development of our cooperation in many areas is also a tangible demonstration of our dynamic relations. A diverse and high-level delegation including Ministers of Defense, Foreign Affairs, Economy, Education and Science as well as Agriculture is accompanying me on this visit. This also shows the importance we attach to our relations with Turkey.”

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