Turkey, Luxembourg vow to boost bilateral ties

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg is paying a state visit to Turkey on Tuesday, the first ever visit at the level of head of state between the two countries since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1947. "Trade investments of Luxembourg in Turkey is 6.5 billion U.S. dollars. Trade volume between two countries is about 250 million dollars last year. We want to further enhance this," Turkish President Abdullah Gul said at a joint press conference following his official talks with Grand Duke Henri in the Turkish capital of Ankara. Turkey and Luxembourg are having close cooperation in many areas, Gul said, citing to NATO membership of the two states. He said Luxembourg strongly supports membership process of Turkey to the European Union (EU), recalling that the country is one of the founders of the EU. "Luxembourg is a small country in population size but it is one of the important financial centers of Europe as a founding member of the EU, and in this regard it has great influence," Gul noted. Grand Duke Henri said his delegation is composed of 100 businessmen, three ministers, which shows an indication of the importance Luxembourg was attaching to Turkey. Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg will visit Syrian refugee camps in southern Turkey along the Syrian border.