DIYARBAKIR - Association of Southeastern Industrialists and Businessmen (GUNSIAD) Chairman Bedrettin Karaboga said on Wednesday that obstacles in front of businessmen should be removed for development of trade with neighboring countries.
Speaking at a meeting on ''Trade With Syria'' at the Diyarbakir Chamber of Commerce, Karaboga said that all countries in the world had close commercial ties with their neighboring countries.
Explaining that European Union (EU) member states' trade volume with their neighboring countries was about forty-eight percent, Karaboga, ''for example, this rate is more than fifty percent for Germany but unfortunately, Turkey's trading volume with its neighbors is nearly six or seven percent.''
Stressing that as the southeastern businessmen, they wanted to make trade with Syria and Iraq, Karaboga said, ''there was an atmosphere of clash in our region for sixteen years. A total of four thousand one hundred and fifty villages were evacuated. Agriculture and animal husbandry finished. Besides, fifty-two thousand trucks and lorries in Sirnak, Mardin, Sanliurfa and Diyarbakir are left to decay due to the current situation of border trade. Tens of thousands of people would find job when border gates are opened. As businessmen, we just want authorities to remove obstacles in front of us. We want to make business with neighboring countries, and we want to say that we are exporters and importers who contribute to Turkey's economy.''
Stressing that nearly nine hundred thousand acres of arable land on Turkey-Syria border was mined, Karaboga said, ''how can trade with Syria be discussed under such a condition?''
Noting that Turkey should get a share in Middle East market, Karaboga said that Turkey could record a significant progress if it got a twenty percent share in this market.
Meanwhile, Foreign Trade Deputy Undersecretary Omer Faruk Dogan said that commercial relations between Turkey and Syria had started to improve, stressing that also Syria's attitude was important for achievement of goals of border trade centers.
''The Foreign Trade Undersecretariat's all projects have focused on development of trade with neighboring countries. During their latest visit to Syria, our businessmen signed business contracts of three hundred million U.S. dollars. Work on border trade centers continue. Also Syria's attitude toward this issue is very important. However, it seems that the new administration in Syria is willing to expend necessary efforts about this issue,'' Dogan added.
(MS-AÖ) 11.06.2003