ANKARA - Foreign Trade Undersecretary Tuncer Kayalar said on Thursday that Syrian Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-Utri and he had agreed on a more active Turkey-Syria-Iraq railway.
Kayalar said that he had had meetings with al-Utri and Syrian Industry Minister Muhammad Safi Abu-Dan during his visit to Syria to attend the 'Second Turkish Machines and Spare Parts Fair'.
Kayalar said that during his meeting with al-Utri, they had consensus that agreements on 'Prevention of Double Taxation and Mutual Encouragement and Protection of Investments' that had been signed during Syrian President Bashar al-Asad's visit to Turkey would contribute to further development of bilateral economic relations.
Noting that they had conveyed their desire of completion of those relations' legal basis with a free trade agreement in order to deepen bilateral relations, Kayalar said that they had also conveyed their demand for opening of border trade center between Turkey and Syria.
Kayalar said that the Syrian Prime Minister had told him that the Syrian government had the desire of further developing its relations with the Turkish government and they would evaluate their demands.
Tuncer Kayalar said that he had told Syrian Industry Minister that Turkey had been implementing the strategy of developing trade with its neighboring countries since 2000 and under this strategy, it attributed special importance to Syria.
Kayalar said the Syrian Industry Minister had told him that cooperation between Turkey and Syria was inevitable and their economic partnership would reflect on other countries in the Middle East and they expected Turkish companies to invest in Syrian manufacturing industry, particularly textiles sector.
(MS-AÖ) 08.01.2004