REMARKS BY PM TO THE MEDIA AT THE
JOINT PRESS INTERACTION
The following is
the text of the remarks made by Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari
Vajpayee at the Joint Press Interaction along with Turkish Prime
Minister, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Ankara (Turkey) today:
"I thank Prime
Minister Erdogan for his warm words. I would first like to say
that my delegation and I are grateful for the warm reception and
gracious hospitality, which the Turkish government and people
have extended to us.
I have just completed
a wide-ranging and fruitful meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan.
It has been a very frank and cordial exchange of views on issues
of bilateral interest, regional concern and international importance.
Turkey and India
have ancient links. We are now set to become modern partners.
We share the common values of secularism and democracy. We are
growing industrial societies with a similar level of excellence
in many fields.
But we still
need to unlock many doors of economic opportunity. Our bilateral
trade in 2002 was only about 650 million dollars. We have set
ourselves a target of one billion dollars by 2005. Even this is
a modest target, but it would set a platform for further expansion.
We agreed that
a Working Group of our Economic Ministries should meet and make
recommendations on diversification of our economic cooperation.
They will be mandated to report to the two governments within
six months.
We emphasized
the importance of direct shipping and air links between our two
countries. Direct air links between Istanbul and New Delhi will
commence tomorrow. Travel and tourism between Turkey and India
should now increase, enhancing people-to-people contacts and encouraging
better links between our business communities. Direct banking
channels need to be established.
We have invited
a delegation from Turkey to discuss cooperation in civilian space
technologies.
India’s technical
and economic cooperation programme has been offering training
facilities at a senior professional level to countries across
the world. I have offered that 50 Turkish professionals would
be provided these scholarships on an annual basis from now onwards.
We have established
a Joint Working Group on terrorism to enhance our cooperation
against this grave threat to democratic societies. Both India
and Turkey have suffered greatly from terrorism.
My visit to Turkey
has filled a long gap since the last visit of an Indian Prime
Minister in 1988. It has also been over 3 years since a Turkish
Prime Minister visited India. Prime Minister Erdogan and I have
agreed that there should be an increased frequency of high-level
meetings between our two countries. We have agreed that our Foreign
Ministers would meet at least once a year, either in one of our
capitals or in one of the many places to which Foreign Ministers
go these days. Our Commerce and Tourism Ministers also need to
establish and maintain contact.
Of course, Heads
of Government should also maintain contact. I am happy that Prime
Minister Erdogan has accepted my invitation to India.
Thank you."
