ISTANBUL - Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom, the Duke of York and the special representative for Britain's international trade and investment, has said that they could reach the target of increasing the mutual trade between Turkey and Britain up to 10 billion U.S. dollars till 2006.
Prince Andrew partook in a luncheon hosted in his honor by the Turkish-British Business Council on Wednesday.
Addressing Turkish and British partakers before the luncheon, Prince Andrew said that there were many affinities between Turkey and Britain, adding that their close political and cultural ties depended on a historical commercial relations.
Recalling that Turkey and Britain had been allied countries for years under the structure of NATO, Prince Andrew noted that Turkey and Britain were under threat of international terrorism as it was experienced in last year's suicide attacks in Istanbul in which both Turkish and British people lost their lives.
Noting that mutual trade between Turkey and Britain increased 20 percent to 8 billion U.S. dollars in 2003, Prince Andrew said that Britain was the second biggest export market for Turkey after Germany.
He stressed that they could reach the target of increasing the mutual trade between Turkey and Britain up to 10 billion U.S. dollars till 2006.
Andrew said British firms have an important and gradually growing investment potential in Turkey.
Stating that he visited Ceyhan on Tuesday to see the Baku-Ceyhan Sea Terminal Project, carried out by BP to construct an oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, Andrew said the three billion U.S. dollars project would provide transfer of one million barrels of oil to Europe and other international markets without passing from the Straits. Andrew said the project was a miracle of engineering and a victory of imagination.
Andrew said there was an important amount of Turkish investment potential in Britain.
Andrew said Turkish and British prime ministers who met last week in Ankara agreed on an action plan aiming at practical cooperation on main sectors to support Turkey's EU membership.
Andrew stressed that Turkey has a very big economic potential, and noted that it was also important due to its role as geostrategic bridge between Europe and Asia.
(UK-AY-AÖ) 26.05.2004