Today, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the signing, at presidential level, of the Joint Declaration for Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Türkiye and Romania.

Good neighbourly relations between Türkiye and Romania set a traditional line of solidarity in contemporary history of our region. Our close interaction has made a great stride in promoting good neighborly relations, peace, stability, regional cooperation and sustainable economic development in the aftermath of the Cold War. It has gradually gained a multi-dimensional character and evolved into an extensive and multi-faceted model of collaboration.

The key role Türkiye and Romania play for the development and security of the region confers a strategic character to this relationship. This steadily growing interaction and cooperation culminated in the Strategic Partnership Declaration in 2011.

Historical ties between our two peoples; strong economic relations; active presence in regional formats, and joint contributions to the transatlantic security under NATO, including through trilateral mechanisms, such as the one set up together with Poland, make Türkiye and Romania pillars of peace and stability.

At the same time, standing together as two good neighbours, we continue to foster security and development in a wider geography stretching between the Balkans and the Black Sea area. As two strategic partners and allies, we believe that our region’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration plays a crucial role in ensuring a durable peace and stability all over Europe.

We are determined to elevate this close relationship to newer heights to the benefit of our peoples, allies and partners, by extending its strategic dimension and by increasing our resilience in the face of the ever-growing challenges of the contemporary world.