The Turkish Prime
Minister Binali Yıldırım arriving in Malta for an official visit. He was
welcomed by Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Joe Mizzi. The Turkish
Prime Minister will be holding talks with the President and Prime Minister
later on during the day
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat greets Turkish Prime
Minister Binali Yıldırım during the welcoming ceremony at Auberge de Castille
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım signs the
visitors’ book and holds bilateral talks with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat
Economic
affairs, the current situation in the Mediterranean and the European
perspective of Turkey were top on the agenda of talks held between Prime
Minister Joseph Muscat and the Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım.
This is the first time that a Turkish Prime Minister is in Malta for an
official visit. Dr Muscat noted that in recent years there was a drastic
increase in Turkish investment in Malta, especially in
the Malta Freeport and the Valletta Cruise Terminal. On
his part, Turkish
Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım also noted the significant increase in trade volume between the
two sides. Mr Yıldırım said that the large Turkish business
delegation accompanying him will discuss stronger bilateral
commercial links in the coming years. While noting that Malta was always
supportive of Turkey’s accession efforts to join the EU, the Turkish Prime
Minister said he hopes that this will continue during the Maltese Presidency of
the Council of the European Union.
Malta
and Turkey have pledged to strengthen cooperation in various fields, primarily in maritime affairs and investment. During
a joint press conference, after talks at Auberge de
Castille, both Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Turkish Prime Minister
Binali Yıldırım referred to negotiations on a customs union which still
need to take place between Turkey and the EU, with Prime Minister Muscat saying
that Malta is committed to ensuring that the negotiations will take place
expeditiously. The Turkish Prime Minister said that the talks also focused on
closer cooperation in maritime affairs in light of the fact that Malta has the
third largest registered maritime fleet in the world. The current situation in
Turkey, the Cypriot talks, the refugee problem, Syria, Libya, and the
Mediterranean were also touched upon during the press conference.
Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yıldırım visits the Upper Barrakka
Gardens in Valletta
Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey
Binali Yıldırım visited the Turkish Military Cemetery in Marsa. The cemetery
was commissioned by Sultan Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire
in 1873 as a replacement for an older Muslim cemetery in Marsa. It was designed by Emmanuele Luigi Galizia, an eminent Maltese architect of the time. There are
several unmarked graves of Turkish prisoners of war dating back to the First
World War in the cemetery, alongside other graves of Commonwealth soldiers.
Mur Lura
17/02/2017
