ANKARA
Turkish President Abdullah Gul said that Portugal and Turkey were two friends and allies that possessed the empire heritage in Ankara.
A statement posted on website of Presidency of Turkey said President Gul mentioned Portuguese President Cavaco Silva's visit to Turkey in 2009 and his visit to Lisbon in 2010 for the NATO Summit. Gul said that it was very pleasing for the volume of trade between Turkey and Portugal to triple in the last ten years and exceeded 1 billion dollar in 2011.
Noting that more than 40 Portuguese firms were operating in Turkey, Gul said that he would like the Portuguese investments to increase in Turkey.
Gul reminded Portugal's support to Turkey's EU accession process, saying that he was pleased with Portugal's inclusion in the "Turkey's friends" group formed within the EU.
Portuguese PM Coelho stated that he invited Gul to Portugal for an official visit and believed this could enhance the cooperation spirit.
Coelho also added that they supported Turkey's EU accession strongly and believed Turkey could serve as "stability factor" within the EU.
