Praising Abdessalem's first-time visit to Turkey as a sign of the strong relations between the countries, Davutoğlu said, “At a time when our brothers and sisters in the region entered a period of change, we look at Tunisia's success as that belonging to one of the region's people and Turkey,” the Anatolia news agency reported on Tuesday.
January is the month the Tunisian revolution celebrates its first anniversary, Davutoğlu also recalled, and reiterated Turkey's support and welcome for the new and democratically elected government of Tunisia. On a similar note, Abdessalem noted that his government came to power through elections and that Tunisia has re-established safety and political stability.
“We are ready to cooperate with Turkey in all fields and increase our mutual trade volume,” the Tunisian foreign minister was quoted as saying at a joint press conference reported on by Anatolia. Discussing Tunisia's strong ties to Turkey, Abdessalem also noted there is a lot Tunisia could draw from when it comes to the Turkish experience as a rapidly growing regional power. The two ministers also signed an action plan for 2012 which lays the groundwork for further cooperation between the two countries.
The Tunisian official was also welcomed by Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek, who reaffirmed his faith in Abdessalem by saying Turkish and Tunisian relations, which are already in a very good state, will become even stronger during his term as foreign minister, the Cihan news agency reported. “We are people related through blood. The Turkish and Tunisian brotherhood is crucial, and that is our perspective as we carry on with our relations with Tunisia,” Çiçek said as he welcomed Abdessalem.
