ANKARA - Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan said on Monday that agreement on prevention of double taxation to be signed between Turkey and Greece would contribute to economic relations of two countries.
Unakitan hosted a dinner in honor of Greek National Economy and Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis.
Finance Minister Unakitan expressed pleasure that Christodoulakis came to Turkey after the bomb and terrorist attacks in Istanbul.
Unakitan said that the agreement on prevention of double taxation which would be signed on Tuesday was an important agreement which would help further improvement of economic relations between Turkey and Greece.
Hoping that Aegean would turn into a Lake of Peace between Turkey and Greece, Unakitan said that trade volume between two countries was very low when the real potential was taken into consideration and added that it should be increased.
State Minister Kursad Tuzmen said that trade volume between Turkey and Greece was around 700-800 million U.S. dollars in 2002 and 850 million U.s. dollars in the first eight months of 2003.
Two countries would reach a trade volume exceeding 1 billion U.S. dollars this year, Tuzmen stated.
Tuzmen said that there was potential to increase trade volume, adding that agreement on prevention of double taxation would help increase trade volume.
State Minister Ali Babacan said that there were more things to be done in Turkish-Greek relations.
Babacan added that they had no concern that economic relations between Turkey and Greece would reach better conditions at the end of those meetings and visits.
Christodoulakis said that he was in Turkey after terrorist attacks staged in Istanbul because they were not feared with those attacks.
Although there was significant economic potential between two countries, current commercial relations were not sufficient, Christodoulakis stated.
Christodoulakis noted that when commercial relations between Turkey and Greece were improved, it would help regional alliance.
Having integrated economies was better than single economies, Christodoulakis pointed out.
Christodoulakis said that there was a new period in front of them. Noting that they would improve relations in that period, Christodoulakis expressed belief that they could do better.
(BRC) 01.12.2003