The meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the presidential palace in Ankara is among the leading topics in the Turkish press this morning, BTA reports.
The two leaders discussed a number of international issues, including developments in Ukraine and Syria, as well as bilateral relations. President Erdogan highlighted to the Polish Prime Minister the importance of Turkey's accession to the EU.
„Turkey will prevent the loss of power of the EU“ („Hüriyet“), „Turkey's membership will increase the power of the EU“ („Sabah“), „The EU's loss of power will end with (the accession of) Turkey” („Yeni Şafak“), „EU can succeed when we become a full member“ („Yeni birlik“). These are the headlines on the front pages of some of the leading Turkish newspapers, in which the Turkish president is quoted on the issue of the country's aspiration to join the EU.
Erdogan emphasized the importance of Turkey's strategic role for the European Union at the joint press conference with Tusk, „Sabah“ notes.
„If the European Union wants to prevent the loss of its power and influence, it can only achieve this through Turkey's full membership. We constantly emphasize that full membership in the EU remains our strategic goal“, emphasized Erdogan.
Tusk, in turn, also expressed his desire to see Turkey in the EU.
“We really hope that the process of Turkey's accession to the EU is realistic. We have always supported Ankara in this regard and will continue to do so“, pointed out the Polish Prime Minister.
The newspapers “Yeni Şafak“ and “Yeni Birlik“ posted a photo of the two leaders, showing Erdogan holding Tusk, who has a broken leg, by the arm to offer him support.
Regarding Turkish-Polish relations, Erdogan said that the two countries are key allies located on NATO's eastern and southern flanks and command the alliance's two largest land armies in Europe, Hurriyet writes.
He noted that the two leaders had the opportunity to discuss possible steps to end the war in Ukraine, and also exchanged views on the future of European security and regional issues, including developments in Syria and Palestine.
„We believe that Ukraine's acceptance of the ceasefire proposal is positive and important. "Now we hope that Russia will respond constructively," Erdogan said, confirming Turkey's readiness to host possible peace talks.
Ankara seeks to maintain good relations with both Moscow and Kiev. Turkey has provided drones to Ukraine but has refrained from joining Western sanctions against Moscow. Ankara is also mediating the conclusion of the agreement on grain exports and the exchange of prisoners between the countries.
For his part, Tusk expressed hope that Ankara will play a key role in promoting peace, Turkish newspapers wrote.
I have sent a proposal to President Erdogan: Turkey should take the greatest possible responsibility within the peace process, ensuring stability and security in our entire region, Tusk said.
Emphasizing that stabilizing the region is a key goal for Poland, Tusk stressed that with the restoration of Ukraine, good opportunities will arise for both Polish and Turkish companies.
The Polish Prime Minister also said that Turkey and Poland will work together to achieve stability in Syria and the region.
According to Tusk, trade between the two countries is expected to reach $15 billion. According to him, this will soon be possible, considering that at this stage the trade turnover has exceeded 12 billion dollars.
He announced that Erdogan will visit Warsaw next month, writes the newspaper “Sabah“.