ANKARA - British Ambassador to Turkey Peter Westmacott said on Thursday that they expected Turkish and British construction firms to improve cooperation in Iraq.
Speaking in the seminar on cooperation between Turkey and Britain in construction sector organized jointly by Turkish Contractors Association and Turkish-British Business Council, Westmacott said that the British government held a conference on Iraq in London together with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Turkish Contractors Association took place in that conference.
Westmacott recalled that Britain strongly supported Turkey's European Union (EU) candidacy and noted that that seminar aimed at contributing to Turkey's fulfillment of economic and political criteria asked by the EU.
Stating that Turkish and British contractors were the leading contractors in the world, Westmacott underlined that the tragic earthquake experience in eastern Bingol province showed that there were still many things to be done for implementation of construction standards.
Westmacott emphasized that another important issue was how Turkey could finance the future infrastructural projects and said that Turkey could benefit from experiences of Britain regarding that issue.
British Consultants and Construction Bureau (BCCB) Director Dick Thomson said that the aim of the seminar was to search for cooperation opportunities.
Thomson stated that they would intensify on education and training in construction sector, certification, insurance, standard and supervision.
Noting that they wanted to make cooperation in third countries with their Turkish partners, Thomson emphasized that there was need for more cooperation to reach the targets in that globalizing world.
(BRC-AÖ) 12.06.2003