Probable fields of cooperation between the Ministries of each three countries and our Ministry were discussed during fruitful talks, which were held in an amicable atmosphere. The following issues were addressed in meetings with the Ambassadors:
Having visited our Ministry on 20 September 2023, Ambassador of TRNC H.E. Mr. İsmet KORUKOĞLU initially touched upon the migration trend, which closely affects employment balance in particular, and the problems in TRNC stemming from irregular migration movements and shared the latest developments in working life of the country. Mr. KORUKOĞLU also conveyed information on the work permit regime in TRNC and the profile of foreigner employees. Mr. Ambassador went on to mention about the legislative amendments in his country and voiced the problems in Medula system, pointing out that infrastructural improvements were imperative for the resolution of aforementioned issues. Mr. KORUKOĞLU underlined the need for bureaucrats to meet, so that the cooperation between the Ministries of both countries could be enhanced.
In response, our Minister emphasized that the legislative amendments in question would not solve the problems from now to tomorrow and the solution would be possible only after a certain period of time, adding that the Ministry was ready for all kinds of cooperation with TRNC to assist the country in issues such as working life, social security and financing of healthcare services.
Having visited our Ministry on 21 September 2023, Ambassador of Moldova to Ankara H.E. Mr. Dmitri CROITOR conveyed to our Minister his wishes for success, congratulating him on his appointment on behalf of the Government of Moldova. Mr. CROITOR expressed his wish for opening of the stadium and college built under the leadership of our President H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN to be made by His Excellency. Furthermore, Mr. Ambassador stated that more and more citizens were migrating to Europe in pursuit of new opportunities for employment, adding that young population was rapidly decreasing, which resulted in negative influences on labour market. Our Director General Oğuz TUNCAY stated that the stadium and college could be opened, in the event that the second meeting of Council of High Level Strategic Cooperation would be held, whose first session was previously convened and suggested that taking this occasion, the Cooperation Agreement whose draft was shared between the parties could be signed, in the case that its final version would be outlined.
Mr. Ambassador further stated that the number of Turkish firms in Moldova was 1203, adding that Türkiye’s experience is essential for attracting workers to these companies. In reply, our Minister noted that he would address investment prospects for Moldova at earliest convenience when he would meet with businesspersons. Having finally expressed that the minimum wage in Moldova could not be raised by the rate of inflation, Mr. CROITOR conveyed his admiration on Türkiye’s performance in this regard. Our Minister responded that Türkiye was ready for cooperation with Moldova in respect thereof and on all issues relating to working life.
Having visited our Ministry on 21 September 2023, H.E. Mr. Periša KASTRATOVİĆ, Ambassador of Montenegro to Ankara, initially thanked our Minister for sparing time and noted that numerous mutual meetings and visits took place between officials of the two countries during her term of office, adding that our President H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN and our Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Mr. Hakan Fidan visited Montenegro two years ago and that our Minister’s counterpart Kemal PURİSİC paid a visit to Türkiye. Mr. Ambassador underscored that there was no impediment to strengthen the relations between the two countries within this context. Mr. KASTRATOVİĆ went on to refer to the national elections held in Montenegro on 11 June 2023, stating that the new government was being formed, the Prime Minister of Montenegro was carrying out the necessary appointments and it was crucial to benefit from Türkiye’s experience within this period.
Pointing out that the cooperation between Türkiye and Montenegro on both the alignment of legislation and sharing experience during the process of harmonization with European Union was valuable, Mr. Ambassador informed briefly on the chapters opened during Montenegro’s EU legislative harmonization process.
Emphasizing that bureaucrats and technical staff of the Ministry would continue to work together without waiting for a meeting to be held with his Montenegrin counterpart, our Minister touched upon the fact that there was a lot to be learnt by both countries reciprocally during EU full membership process. He went on to note that our Ministry could provide support for Montenegro on issues particularly on administering workforce, preventing labour loss, rendering healthcare service and promoting accessible tourism.