Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Tuesday that Turkey’s relations with its neighbors were based on friendship.
In this way, a synergy emerges through the solidarity and cooperation of countries in the region, added Gul who attended a meeting in southern province of Hatay which has a border with Syria.
Commenting on relations with Syria, Gul said that lifting of visa procedures and being in cooperation and solidarity with mutual respect and confidence positively affected the peoples of both Turkey and Syria.
In the past, when relations with neighboring countries were bad, it was not an advantage to be a border province, said Gul. He added that however, when there was cooperation, solidarity, assistance and mutual understanding with neighbors, the border provinces turned into metropolis.
Gul also said that Turkey attached importance to security, stability and economic cooperation in its region.
In June, Turkey and Syria signed a memorandum of understanding to build a new border crossing through the method of build-operate-transfer. Turkey has currently seven border crossings with Syria, and the new one is planned to be used mainly in transportation of goods.
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