ISTANBUL - Syrian Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa Miru, who wrapped up his contacts in Turkey, departed for Syria on Wednesday.
Miru had held meetings with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials in Turkey.
TUZMEN BELIEVES TRADE VOLUME BETWEEN TURKEY AND SYRIA WILL RISE TO 2-3 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS IN COMING YEARS
State Minister Kursad Tuzmen said on Wednesday that he believed that trade volume between Turkey and Syria would rise to 2-3 billion U.S. dollars in coming years.
Speaking in the working lunch of Turkish-Syrian Business Council also attended by Syrian Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa Miru, Tuzmen said that they had worked with a Syrian delegation for five days and joint economic commission protocol, and cooperation agreements on customs, health and energy were signed.
Tuzmen stated that Miru welcomed their proposal to reduce transit passage fees and inauguration of a consulate general in southeastern Gaziantep province.
Noting that the first step of making a free trade agreement with Syria was preferential trade agreement, Tuzmen said that they had made preparations and started to mutually determine goods.
Tuzmen wished that businessmen of two countries would establish permanent relations.
There was 80 percent rise in exports from Syria to Turkey in the first half of this year when compared with the same period of the previous year, Tuzmen said.
Tuzmen added that he believed that when trade was liberalized and customs tariffs were reduced, all countries would gain from it.
TOBB CHAIRMAN HISARCIKLIOGLU SAYS PREVENTING DOUBLE TAXATION BETWEEN TURKEY AND SYRIA WILL ACCELERATE DEVELOPMENT OF RELATIONS
Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu said on Wednesday that preventing double taxation, encouraging investments and completing free trade agreements between Turkey and Syria would accelerate development of relations.
Releasing a speech during the luncheon held by Turkish-Syrian Business Council, Hisarciklioglu said that the visit of Syrian Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa Miru would give a chance to further develop commercial relations and investments between two countries.
Noting that regional countries could not reach sufficient commercial and economic cooperation volume, Hisarciklioglu said that improvement of economic and commercial relations were necessary for the development and prosperity of the region.
Miru had a boat tour on Istanbul Strait following the meeting.
(GC-BRC) 30.07.2003