Netanyahu's genocidal policies must be stopped: Erdoğan
ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan once again called upon the international community to stop Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and "the reckless Israeli government" from continuing their genocidal policies at the expense of their own citizens' security.
“The responsibilities of the international community are evident in stopping Israeli atrocities and ensuring the security of our Palestinian brothers. However, despite this, steps to prevent the massacre are still not being taken," Erdoğan said at a joint news conference with visiting Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu at the presidential complex in Ankara.
“Netanyahu and his reckless government continue their genocide policies at the expense of endangering the security of their own citizens. It is now necessary to put an end to this," he continued.
Erdoğan stated that he and Ciolacu discussed regional and global developments, with the Gaza conflict being a central concern.
"I am confident that our ally Romania will contribute adequately to international efforts concerning this issue," Erdoğan stated.
The president stated that the Russia-Ukraine War was also deliberated upon and that Ankara has consistently provided substantial contributions "towards ending hostilities, ensuring global food security, and maintaining navigation safety in the Black Sea," since the beginning of the conflict.
In the presence of both leaders, six agreements were signed, covering areas such as social security, urban planning, tourism, industry and the training of law enforcement personnel. This marks a step in the strategic partnership established between the two countries in 2011
Wishing that the decisions taken and agreements signed at the Council meeting will be beneficial for both countries, Erdoğan said that the next meeting will be held in Bucharest.
"We will continue to work with Romania, our NATO ally, strategic partner, and Black Sea neighbor, to move our relations forward in the interests of our countries,” he said.
Aim for $15 bln in bilateral trade volume
Stating that the bilateral trade volume between Türkiye and Romania has exceeded $10 billion for two consecutive years, Erdoğan said that the goal is to reach "$15 billion."
Erdoğan also said that Ankara has implemented a passport-free policy for Romanian travelers.
"We have implemented a regulation that will enable Romanian citizens to travel to our country with their identity card," he said.
Romanian nationals will not be required to obtain a visa for tourist stays and transit passages of up to 90 days within every 180-day period.
The decision applies solely to Romanian citizens visiting Türkiye, as Turkish citizens intending to travel to the Balkan country will continue to be obligated to obtain visas.
Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s Schengen area of free movement on March 31, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the EU.
Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz announced last month that direct investments from Türkiye into Romania have reached $7.5 billion.
He added that Romania ranks first in Europe in the contracting sector and among the top ten EU member states in terms of investments by Turkish companies.