Turkey’s parliament speaker meets Montenegrin counterpart

By Hatice Ozdemir Tosun

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey’s parliament speaker and his Montenegrin counterpart on Tuesday had bilateral talks following a meeting of southeastern European countries.

After the closed-door meeting, Mustafa Sentop expressed his satisfaction to host Aleksa Becic and his delegation in Antalya, the Turkish Mediterranean resort city and site of the South-East European Cooperation Process Parliamentary Assembly (SEECP PA) meeting.

Stating that the SEECP PA aims to build inclusive and constructive dialogue mechanisms developed on the basis of cooperation in the region, Sentop said: “This umbrella is an important part of the guarantees for stability, peace, and tranquility in our region.”

Turkey shares a common history and culture with the Balkan nation of Montenegro, Sentop said, underlining that high-level visits between the countries help strengthen relations.

Sentop said the meeting was instrumental in bringing bilateral relations to a higher level.

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Saying that the COVID-19 epidemic again proved that international solidarity and cooperation is essential for the future of humanity, Sentop said that Turkey is trying to support this through humanitarian diplomacy.

Ankara also showed meaningful solidarity with Montenegro, he added.

Telling how the epidemic hurt economic and commercial ties worldwide, he said: "The trade volume between our countries fell slightly to $120 million. The fact that this figure is less than half of the $250 million target also shows that we need to work more in this area."

He added: "With its multicultural and ethnic structure, for us Montenegro is a friendly country that contributes to the peace and stability of southeastern Europe. We closely follow the developments in the country, where our friends and relatives live, and whose peace, prosperity, and stability we value."

*Writing by Seda Sevencan​​​​​​​