ANKARA - Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said on Thursday that the Turkish economy entered into a lasting, stable and irreversible improvement process.
Addressing the opening of Turkey-Austria Joint Economic Commission (JEC) fourth term meeting, Aksu said that Turkey recorded important developments recently.
Aksu said that Turkey truely reflected its liberal approach towards international investments by putting into force the Law on Direct Foreign Investments. Aksu stressed that foreign and native investors would have the same rights and obligations with the law and all sorts of profits could be easily transferred abroad.
''Membership of our country to the EU comes among the top targets of the government,'' said Aksu noting that seven adjustment laws were prepared and important progress was recorded to meet the political criteria. Aksu stressed that the initiatives of Austrian officials with EU and other countries in this process were very important.
Noting that Turkey wished to further improve its commercial and economic relations with Austria, Aksu said that ''studies continue to revise the agreement on prevention of double taxation. When it is revised, a safe business atmosphere will be ensured for businessmen.''
Aksu stressed that the trade volume between Turkey and Austria which reached 602 million dollars in the first six months of 2003 shows that the figure would exceed one billion dollars at the end of the year.
Aksu noted that Austrian firms had to evaluate Turkey as an alternative market, adding that contacts among business circles had to increase. Aksu stressed that the activities of Austrian Business Council had to be supported and the joint meetings had to be held on regular basis.
Aksu stated that energy sector constituted one of the most important dimensions of Turkey-Austria cooperation, adding that ''Austria is an important transition country within the scope of transmitting natural gas to European markets.''
Pointing out that businessmen who wanted to go to Austria for business had difficulties in getting visa, getting residence and work permits, Aksu stressed that Turkish transporters also had problems as their transition document quotas were considered invalid in that country.
Austrian Minister for Economic Affairs and Labor Martin Bartenstein said in his part that the basis of the commercial relations between the two countries was fine, but an improvement had to be made particularly in respect of Austria within the scope of double taxation regarding foreign trade.
Bartenstein said that sides put forward their intention to hold a common meeting, adding that the two countries should also make cooperation in the field of health. Bartenstein stated that no meetings took place between the two countries within the scope of the agreement on air transportation. These meetings should restart and be taken up within the scope of JEC meetings, he said.
The guest minister stated that 300,000 Austrian tourists who come to Turkey had visa problems in Turkey, adding that Austria supported the EU membership of Turkey. He stressed that Austria followed the developments within the scope of the decisions taken in Copenhagen.
(Öª) 09.10.2003