ANKARA
Turkey and Macedonia expressed their shared hope of joining the European Union as their prime ministers met in Ankara on Wednesday.
Ahmet Davutoglu and Nikola Gruevski spoke at a press conference after their meeting.
“Turkey was the first country to recognize Macedonia, the only country in the world to recognize it with its constitutional name and the first country to appoint its ambassador to Macedonia,” Davutoglu told reporters.
“We have deep-rooted historical ties, we have social relations too, and on this basis we are developing strong economic and political relations.”
He said Turkey would continue supporting Macedonia’s bid for NATO and EU membership and hoped that one day both countries would be EU members.
Gruevski added: "Both countries are open to dialogue and are working together to further improve bilateral and economic relations."
He called for Turkish investment in Macedonia, referring to the country as a “tax haven.”
During his visit Gruevski will visit Istanbul, Izmit, Eskisehir, Mersin and Adana.
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