Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini speaks during an exclusive interview in Ankara, Turkey on January 13, 2017. ( Raşit Aydoğan - Anadolu Agency )
By Nazli Yuzbasioglu
ANKARA
Europe and Turkey need each other and their cooperation with a "win-win" view will bring results in trade, security and prosperity.
These were the thoughts of Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini speaking exclusively to Anadolu Agency in Ankara on Friday.
Speaking after the 9th Ambassadors’ Conference held in the Turkish capital, Soini spoke about bilateral relations, Turkey's EU accession process, ongoing Cyprus peace talks and the Syrian conflict.
In an interview held after meeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Soini said they talked about a range of issues "frankly and straightforwardly".
Soini said he hoped a result would finally be reached in the ongoing Cyprus peace talks in Geneva, adding that "a recorded success" would be a good sign for both the divided island and to the region as a whole.
"It would function as a model that results are obtainable and that we can go further with this," Soini said.
Recalling that two "very difficult" chapters remained to be resolved in the talks, the Finnish minister said "no moments should be missed".
"Expectations are high. We shouldn't get the wrong results," he added.
On Turkish-Finnish relations, Soini spoke about a Joint Economic and Trade Association meeting between Turkey and Finland planned soon and invited Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to the Helsinki Policy Forum meeting scheduled for May.
Soini said there was €1 billion ($1.06 billion) of trade between Turkey and Finland and said an exchange of delegations was needed to increase this turnover.
The Finnish minister also said Europe and Turkey needed each other and cooperation was essential.
"But if we don't get that right, it will change to a lose-lose situation which would mean less security, less commerce and more problems," Soini added.
In his remarks about the refugee crisis, Soini said the EU needed to work with Turkey.
"If we don't cooperate with that as Europe, there will be more problems -- first for Turkey and then for Europe," he added.
Astana peace talks
About the discussions for upcoming Astana, Kazakhstan talks on Syria -- with the sponsorship of Turkey and Russia -- Soini said there was an “immense need for mediation throughout”.
Drawing attention to a plethora of conflicts where mediation was needed, Soini said more than 50 countries participated in the Group of Friends of Mediation -- a UN network co-chaired by Finland and Turkey. It was founded in 2010 to promote and advance the use of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes.
"Everything carried out to preserve or create peace is good," Soini said, adding: "Astana may be one step."
Stressing the importance of Russian and Turkish efforts in the Astana peace talks, Soini said the United States, UN and regional countries had to take part in the process.
"I hope the EU would have some role in this," he added.
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