ANKARA - Turkey and Morocco signed on Wednesday free trade agreement in Ankara.
Releasing a statement, Foreign Trade Undersecretary Tuncer Kayalar said that free trade agreement which was signed between Turkey and Morocco was the first free trade agreement signed for the first time between Turkey and a north African country.
Kayalar said that free trade agreement which was signed on Wednesday was concluded successfully after the fifth round of negotiations on free trade agreement between Turkey and Morocco which started in February 1999 and stated that the agreement was initialed in Rabat city of Morocco on October 31, 2003.
He noted that this agreement would be a pushing force for completing preferential trade agreements especially with north African countries and with other countries of Barcelona process.
Kayalar stated that free trade agreement aimed to further improve economic relations between the two countries, lift restrictions in trade of goods, create appropriate competition conditions, increase mutual investments and develop cooperation in third countries' markets.
Kayalar said that Turkish and Moroccan officials reached consensus that necessary arrangements would be made as soon as possible for free trade agreement to go into effect this year and noted that after the agreement went into effect, economic and commercial relations between the two countries would further improve.
Stating that the 8th term meeting of Turkey-Morocco Joint Economic Committee (JEC) was held in Ankara on April 5-7, Kayalar recalled that JEC protocol, free trade agreement and agreement on prevention of double taxation were signed on Wednesday.
Kayalar added that measures to further improve relations in trade, industrial cooperation, investments, contracting services, agriculture, tourism and transportation fields were determined with JEC protocol.
(EÖ-AÖ) 07.04.2004