Nidaa Tounes Says Eyeing Stronger Ties With Turkey

A leading member of Nidaa Tounes, the political party that won the highest number of seats in Sunday's Tunisian parliamentary elections, said on Thursday that his party is willing to enhance ties with Turkey in the near future.



"Our relations with Turkey are good already and we are happy with that," Mohssen Marzouq told Anadolu Agency.



Marzouq, who heads the campaign of his party's candidate in the forthcoming presidential elections Béji Caid Essebsi, voiced hopes that Turkish businessmen would continue to invest in the North African country.



"Economic ties between Tunisia and Turkey should not be tied to the party that is in power here," Marzouq said.



He said Tunisia had centuries-long relations with Turkey, and expected these relations to grow in the years to come.



"We want to boost these relations both at the economic and cultural levels as well as at the level of security, particularly when it comes to the current war on terror," Marzouq added.



He went on to describe Turkey as a "friend" of Tunisia. "Governments come and go, but peoples stay," Marzouq added.



Nidaa Tounes has been declared the winner of Sunday's legislative elections, having won 85 seats in the 217-seat legislature. The party had won 39.17 percent of overall votes in the polls.



By Esma Ben Said



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Tunis