Turkey-Moldova Relations Enter Strategic Cooperation Phase - Erdogan

Relations between Turkey and Moldova have reached the strategic cooperation stage, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday during his visit to the Eastern European country.

ANKARA/CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2018) Relations between Turkey and Moldova have reached the strategic cooperation stage, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday during his visit to the Eastern European country.

Earlier in the day, Erdogan arrived in the Moldovan capital for a two-day visit.

"Our relations have reached a strategic level, and now, a partnership mechanism has been created, meetings of the High-Level Cooperation Council will be held twice a year," Erdogan said at a joint press conference with his Moldovan counterpart Igor Dodon.

Moldova's territorial integrity is important for Turkey as well as the relations between the Moldovans and the Turkic-speaking Gagauz people, who have close historic ties with Turkey.

"I invite Moldova to seriously take FETO [the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Ankara refers to as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization].

The members of this terrorist group have penetrated all levels, and now they are penetrating into Moldova just the same," Erdogan noted.

Turkey's leader went on to express hope that the Turkish-Moldovan turnover would reach $1 billion soon as it currently stands at $466 million.

At the same time, the Moldovan president awarded Erdogan the Republic's Order for� an extraordinary contribution to the promotion of bilateral ties, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

"By the decree of the President of Moldova, the Order of the Republic is presented to the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his special contribution to the development of relations between the states," Dodon's spokesperson said.

The leaders have also signed a statement on the establishment of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.