Call for more investment in SE Europe
Prime Minister George Papandreou (l) is seen with Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Istanbul yesterday. Papandreou, who was visiting Turkey for the Southeast European Cooperation Process summit, said that cooperation in the region needs to be strengthened in response to Europe’s debt crisis. ‘We need to see more investment in Southeastern Europe in infrastructure, whether it is communication, transportation, energy, human capital or green development as an opportunity for growth in the wider area of Europe,’ said Greece’s premier. Gul underlined the importance of the accords reached in Athens on a recent visit by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and referred to the ‘very good relations’ between Greek and Turkish entrepreneurs. Regarding Greece’s economic problems, Gul said, ‘Turkey faced similar problems in 2001, possibly even tougher ones because it did not have European support but [the country] managed to overcome them.’
