‘New Chapter in Kosovo-Turkey Relations Needed’

One of Kosovo’s leading businessmen has called for a new chapter in relations with Turkey as its Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Pristina on Wednesday. Safet Gerxhaliu, president of Kosovo Chamber of Commerce, thanked Turkey for its support of Kosovo “before, during and after the war”, but said that relations should now focus on serious economic development rather than traditional cultural ties. He told Balkan Insight: “It’s a fact that Turkey should be more active in capital investment in Kosovo because the time has passed when Kosovars were in need of two litres of oil, sugar and flour.”

Gerxhaliu added that Kosovo must nurture its strong bonds with Turkey, which “economic experts believe will be among the top ten most developed countries in the world by 2024”, he said. “We have to stop the family and emotional relations with Turkey because it’s the time of economic pragmatism.” But he added that Kosovo must also be realistic about its potential economic might, stressing: “If Kosovo produced only for Turkey, it would not meet the needs of one neighbourhood of Istanbul.” On the first day of Erdogan's two-day visit to Kosovo, the first since Pristina’s February 2008 declaration of independence, the Turkish prime minister revealed that trade with Kosovo had almost doubled in the past two years.

He said that despite the global economic crisis, trade between the two countries had increased from $120 million in 2008 to $210 million in 2009. Turkey is ready to offer its support for Kosovo’s economy, tourism, EU integration process and membership in NATO, Erdogan added. In a joint press conference held with Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, Erdogan said: “We have offered our support [to Kosovo] and we are aware of the duty we have to support Kosovo in the process of integration and its membership in NATO.” Erdogan and Thaci highlighted Turkish companies’ increasing involvement in Kosovo’s economy in the field of road-building, airports and telecommunications.

News source: BalkanInsight link.article