State Minister Tuzmen Due To Syria

ANKARA - State Minister Kursad Tuzmen has said that they targeted to increase trade to Syria up to 1.3 billion U.S. dollars.
Replying to questions of journalists on Thursday prior to his visit to Syria, Tuzmen said, ''together with a 200-member delegation of businessmen and bureaucrats, I will pay a visit to Syria. We will first pay a visit to Aleppo. Later, we will proceed to Damascus. During the visit, we will seek ways to further develop our commercial relations with Syria.''
Recalling that they would be received by President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-Utri and with some other Syrian ministers, Tuzmen said, ''last year, our exports to Syria increased 70 percent to 800 million U.S. dollars. We want to increase our trade volume with Syria up to 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2004. Turkey will be the door of Syria opening to Europe.''
Highlighting importance of signing a free trade agreement with Syria, Tuzmen said, ''we will also discuss the issue of sweeping anti-personnel land-mines in border region between Turkey and Syria, and opening those fields to organic agriculture. Friendly and commercial relations between Turkey and Syria has gained more importance.''
(UK-AY) 04.03.2004