Tuzmen: Turkey And Morocco Will Sign A Free Trade Agreement On April 7

ISTANBUL - Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen has said that Turkey and Morocco would sign a free trade agreement on April 7, 2004.
Holding a press conf1erence at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport prior to his departure for the United States, Tuzmen said on Sunday, ''Turkey and Morocco will sign a free trade agreement on April 7. This agreement will accelerate commercial relations between Turkey and Morocco considerably.''
Stressing that Turkey had not signed a free trade agreement with any of Mediterranean countries except for Israel, Tuzmen said, ''after the EU signs a free trade agreement with a country, Turkey faces difficulties in signing free trade agreement with that country. We have a customs union agreement with the EU. In fact, we should automatically sign free trade agreement with countries which sign such agreements with the EU.''
Tuzmen noted that Turkey would sign a free trade agreement with an Arab country for the first time.
Noting that the agreement would be signed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Moroccan counterpart, Tuzmen said, ''it will be a very important opening to us.''
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(UK-MS) 04.04.2004