SKOPJE - State Minister Kursat Tuzmen came on Tuesday to Skopje, Macedonia to attend Macedonia-Turkey Business Council meeting.
Tuzmen who came to Macedonia with 70 accompanying businessmen met with Macedonian Economy Minister Stevco Jakimovski after meeting with owners of Turkish companies in the country. The ministers exchanged views about development of economy between the two countries.
Tuzmen asked his counterpart to decrease to 36 percent customs duties applied on Turkish products imported by Macedonia, and to apply the duty that was applied on imported EU countries' products. If this was not the case, Turkey could not increase its investment in Macedonia, Tuzmen said, adding that unemployment in Macedonia could decrease with the investments Turkey would make in construction field. Tuzmen also asked his counterpart to give the construction of Skopje Airport to very experienced Turkish companies.
Macedonian Minister of Economics Jakimovski said in his part that he would start the initiative of applying the same duty on Turkish products like the ones applied on EU products. Jakimovski said that Turkish companies would have priority in construction sector as Turkey supported Macedonia on its most difficult days.
Jakimovski also hosted a dinner in honour of Tuzmen.
Tuzmen will meet with Macedonian Economy Chambers President Dushan Petrevski and Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski separately on Wednesday.
(Öª) 09.12.2003