Thewesternbalkans
On 10 and 11 of October, Turkish President paid a two days visit to the Western Balkans countries Albania and Serbia.
- Albania
On 10 of October 2024 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid an official visit in Albania, the Turkish and other media reported.
President Erdoğan was welcomed with an official ceremony by Albanian President Bayram Begai. The two leaders then held a bilateral meeting, Anadolu Agency reports.
After the talks with Begai, the Turkish president also met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. Erdogan and Rama chaired the second High-Level Cooperation Council meeting and oversaw the signing of four cooperation agreements in the fields of communication, education and agriculture, confirming the two countries’ willingness to cooperate.
During his visit, Erdoğan emphasised that Türkiye will provide the necessary support to their strategic partner Albania’s armed forces with military equipment and training.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama aided that “Ankara would give Tirana a considerable number of kamikaze drones of an unspecified type and expressed his appreciation. The two sides are NATO allies and Tirana already acquired a fleet of Bayraktar reconnaissance and attack drones.
Joint efforts between Ankara and Tirana are also aimed towards increasing bilateral trade volume to $2 billion within the first phase, according to Erdogan, who also discussed the joint fight against terrorist organisations such as FETO during his meeting with Rama.
Erdoğan and Rama signed a joint declaration to deepen the strategic partnership shared by the two governments’ high-level Cooperation Councils.
The two countries’ agriculture and forest ministries also signed a declaration of intent to cooperate in the field of state-sponsored agricultural insurance. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for collaboration in public relations and communication was also signed.
In addition, a protocol was signed to establish academic branches and programs of Istanbul Technical University in Albania.
During the press conference after the meeting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also has condemned Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, describing them as a “common shame for humanity”.
“We need to make every effort as the international community to ensure a permanent ceasefire, deliver humanitarian aid, and apply the necessary pressure on Israel. I sincerely believe that Albania will also do its part in this regard” said Erdogan.
Later on 10 of October, Erdoğan attended the opening ceremony of the Grand Mosque “Namazgyah“ in Tirana.
According to information from the Anatolian Agency, this is the largest mosque in the Balkans, built with the help of Türkiye.
Türkiye is a strategic partner of Albania and one of its largest investors, contributing to infrastructure and other sectors.
Construction of the new mosque was launched in 2015 with some 30 million euros ($34 million) from the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet).
In addition to the four minarets, the Namazgah mosque has a central dome of 30 metres. It sits on a 10,000-square-metre parcel of land near Albania’s parliament, and the first floor includes a cultural center. It has a capacity to let 10,000 people pray.
A jarring note, however, is ongoing concern that Erdoğan’s long-running fight against supporters of the exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen is causing an unnecessary rift among Albania’s Muslims.
The newly opened mosque, the latest signature of Erdogan’s expansive foreign policy, has remained closed to believers for almost five years, as an undeclared “war” raged between alleged supporters of Gulen and supporters of Türkiye’s President.
- Serbia
Following his visit to Albania, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan traveled to the Serbian capital Belgrade later on Thursday – 10 of October.
President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić welcomed President Erdoğan, at Nikola Tesla Airport.
On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was welcomed by Aleksandar Vucic with an official ceremony at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade, where the national anthems of both countries were played and a seven-gun salute was fired.
Erdogan and Vucic held a press conference after their meeting at the Turkey-Serbia High Level Cooperation Council and the signing of bilateral agreements.
Speaking alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a joint press conference, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has hailed Türkiye as a stabilising power in the Balkans and expressed his expectation of continued Turkish support for peace in the region. He lauds Türkiye as “greatest power in the Balkans”.
Ankara and Belgrade sign 11 bilateral agreements during visit from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Vucic said parts of Serbia survive thanks to Turkish investments, and expressed his country’s appreciation of friendly relations with Türkiye.
“Our economic and commercial relations constitute the engine of our bilateral cooperation with Serbia. Our trade volume has exceeded two billion dollars two years in a row,” Erdogan said in his address, adding that the goal is now set to five billion dollars.
He remarked that Türkiye and Serbia also have opportunities to enhance defence industry cooperation and urged third countries to refrain from trying to “determine what the defence industries of Türkiye and Serbia should” do. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Türkiye and Serbia had decided to carry out joint work on developing their defense industry and that Turkish drones would be part of bilateral cooperation.
“Türkiye and Serbia need to take a step together, but this step is the formation of a defense industry among ourselves to ensure the preservation of peace,” Erdoğan said, Reuters reported.
International demand for Turkish drones, primarily Baykar’s Bayraktar TB2 drones, has soared after their impact on conflicts in Syria, Libya, Azerbaijan and Ukraine. Baykar has said it has signed export agreements with some 30 countries.
“Türkiye’s capabilities in drones will of course be part the steps taken on the the cooperation in the field of defense industry,” Erdoğan said.
He said Ankara and Belgrade would utilize their resources “as two friendly countries” to fine-tune their cooperation, warning that no other country should try to interfere even if they are unhappy with it.
Erdoğan further stressed “the importance of Serbia’s constructive approach in helping Bosnia and Herzegovina move beyond its political fragility.”
The Serbian president, for his part, also praised Erdoğan as a person who “understands the problems in the Balkans very well and always says that dialogue is the only way to solve them.”
Türkiye sees Serbia as an important country for stability in the region and supports its integration with the EU, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Türkiye also sees relations with Serbia as progressing positively, with mutual high-level visits and commercial and economic relations developing with a strong momentum.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his meeting with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic underlined the importance of peace and stability in the Balkans. “It is clear the importance of common sense in the approach to the recent tensions between Serbia and Kosovo”, said Erdogan.
In the hotel “Hyatt“ a Serbia-Turkey working forum was organized in Belgrade, which was attended by Presidents Vucic and Erdoğan, as well as representatives of companies from the sectors of transport, energy, tourism, finance and the textile industry.
Turkey is the fourth largest importer to Serbia and ranks 14th in terms of exports from Serbia. In the first half of 2024, the foreign trade exchange between the two countries amounted to 1.4 million euros. Exports from Serbia to Turkey increased by 61.6%, and imports – by 10.7% compared to the same period of the previous year.
The last meeting between Vucic and Erdoğan was in September in New York, and the last visit of the Turkish president to Serbia – in 2022, when the two countries celebrated 140 years of diplomatic relations.
Comments:
- Albania
Prime Minister Rama and President Erdogan signed a joint political declaration establishing the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council on January 6, 2021, elevating relations between the two countries to the level of strategic partnership. The formalisation of the two countries’ strategic partnership during Rama’s visit to Ankara in January 2021 is regarded as a watershed moment in Turkish-Albanian relations.
In December 2022, a contract was signed in Tirana for the purchase of a fleet of Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs as part of the Albanian Armed Forces’ modernisation as a NATO member and strategic partner.
With the expansion of Türkiye-Albania relations in political and economic fields, trade between the two countries has also increased. Currently, nearly 600 Turkish companies are operating in Albania, employing thousands of people.
In Albania, TIKA, which has carried out hundreds of projects in agriculture, education, and cultural heritage protection, has also completed work on the restoration of different structures that remain as cultural heritage from the Ottoman period.
One of the main factors that have strengthened the friendship between the two countries for over a century is the presence of a large number of Turkish citizens of Albanian origin living almost everywhere in Türkiye.
- Serbia.
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, after the meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Türkiye had the biggest role and power in the Balkans, stressing that he expects Ankara’s help in the processes of peace and stability in the region. “Erdoğan has always defended peace in the Balkans. I am grateful for the understanding and willingness to listen to us”, said the Serbian president, adding that Turkey was an important country in establishing friendly relations. “We appreciate the political position of Erdogan, who leads an independent country, in the interest of the citizens and people of Turkey and not in the interest of some other powers,” he added. No other country should try to interfere in the relations and cooperation between Serbia and Türkiye.
That’s it! The door is wide open for cooperation between two countries that claim to pursue an independent foreign policy and a policy entirely in the interest of their peoples. And these are not slogans used in the context of the bilateral meeting, but something much more. The door is also open for Türkiye in the Balkans.
Turkey is known for the last 30 years to follow quite strictly its strategy of going against the tide and show of power to implement this strategy. When Ahmet Davutoğlu published his book “Strategic Deepness” he was an adviser to Erdoğan, then he was appointed foreign minister to implement the postulates laid down in the new ideology. Even after the relationship between Erdoğan and Davutoğlu went through serious upheavals, the implementation of the strategy remains. Therefore, the assessments of Aleksandar Vucic are not just an expression of hospitality and courtesy, but also have a large dose of realism.
Bilateral relations between Turkey and Serbia should be given salted attention!
Foto: Pixabay
