The head of state held talks with President Abdullah Gül. The Slovak-Turkish relations were described by the Slovak President as very good. “I am very pleased that the meetings between the top representatives of both countries have intensified over the recent period.”  Both presidents also discussed the situation in the EU, as well as Slovak support for Turkey’s efforts to join the EU. Abdullah Gül thanked Slovakia for constant support and trust during negotiations with the EU. “We consider EU’s enlargement as one of the most successful and, at the same time, the most important policies of the EU. We fully support the opening of further pre-accession chapters with Turkey and we wish that a new impetus be given to Turkey’s accession talks with the EU,” Ivan Gašparovič said. He also praised Turkey’s approach to the Kurd issue. The cancellation of the visa requirement for the Slovak citizens was one of the important outcomes of Gašparovič’s official visit to Turkey. The Slovak president said he was pleased to see that happen during his official visit to Ankara. “The decision of the Turkish Government concerning the cancellation of the visa requirement was signed by the President in my presence and with a great smile on his face,” Ivan Gašparovič told the journalists. He added that Slovakia was reciprocally adopting measures to relax the visa regime for the Turkish citizens. Renewing the contractual framework with Turkey is important as well, Ivan Gašparovič said. At the end of the meeting, Mr Gašparovič noted that “the relations between the Republic of Turkey and Slovakia are being reinforced, just as are the relations between both heads of state.”

Ivan Gašparovič also held talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and met with the top officials of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey. While in Istanbul, he met Mayor Kadir Topbaş and Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu. The talks with Turkish partners mainly revolved around the further development of bilateral cooperation with a special focus on economy, trade, investments, innovation, science and research.

The Slovak Republic expects that Turkey will continue to fulfil the pre-accession criteria and lay the groundwork for accelerating the pre-accession process with the EU. We rank among those EU Member States which are hoping for a new, clear impetus to be given to EU-Turkey accession talks.