Erdogan: "Turkey is always ready to support Tunisia and its people "

Caretaker President Foued Mebazaa received here on Thursday Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is paying an official two-day-visit in Tunisia. The Turkish premier was escorted by a large delegation including the Minister of State, Deputy Prime Minister and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Economy, Energy and Natural Resources and Transport. Mebazaa highlighted the steps made in matters of transition to democracy since the January 14 Revolution, saying that the elections of the Constituent Assembly next October 23, represent a crucial stage in building up a radiant future for new Tunisia. In a statement he made at the end of the meeting, Erdogan outpointed that the Tunisian Revolution had set off the ''Arab Spring'' the region is now living through and that the election of a Constituent Assembly is an important step towards actual democracy, wishing full success to the election process. The head of the Turkish government also said he was optimistic about a promising future for bilateral relations, affirming that Tunisia and Turkey can look at new fields for co-operation. "Turkey is always ready to support Tunisia and its people on the way of progress and development " he added. Bilateral trade exchanges stand now at about 1 billion dollars and can be raised to 4 or 5 billion dollars," reckoned Erdogan, affirming that bilateral co-operation can be further boosted in the fields of tourism, education and infrastructure. "My talks with President Mebazaa allowed to speak of the close historic ties between our two countries and discuss prospects for bilateral cooperation, notably in the military, economic, social and cultural fields," he declared. "We have also discussed the latest developments in the region and the Palestinian cause," Erdogan added, expressing satisfaction at the convergent views of Turkey and Tunisia in this regard.