IZMIR (CIHAN) - The Turkish State Minister for Foreign Trade Kürsad Tüzmen said on Wednesday that Turkey had collected $698 million from its pre-war agreements with Iraq.
Saddam Hussein`s Iraq had owed nearly $700 million in debts to Turkey prior to the Iraqi war. A Turkish delegation led by State Minister Kürsat Tüzmen had paid a visit to the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein before the war and had signed agreements with the old regime. At the time, the visit had caused much discussion in Turkey with many people claiming that the Turkish government should not engage in talks with the dictator.
Tüzmen, visiting the Aegean Free Zone yesterday, said that the agreement signed with the Saddam regime had been carried through and that the Iraqi debts had been collected.
Kürsat Tüzmen said that Turkey would have effected $3 billion in exports to Iraq in 2003 and $4 billion in 2004 if the Iraqi war had not erupted. Tüzmen said that Turkey has actualized $800 million in exports to Iraq for the first half of 2004. " We are aiming to increase these figures to $1.8 billion by the end of 2004."
Turkey is hoping to achieve $60 billion in total exports for 2004. Last year, Turkish exports broke the all-time record hitting 48 billion dollars.
State Minister Tüzmen revealed that nearly 1 thousand Turkish businessmen are operating in Iraq in spite of the prevailing chaotic and difficult conditions there. He added that abductions and attacks on foreigners in Iraq could negatively affect Turkey`s exports to Iraq.
Recently, three Turkish workers, held hostage for nearly 6 days and threatened with decapitation, were released by Iraqi militant groups linked with Al Qaeda.
While the Turkish government rejected the demands of the militants who had abducted the three workers, the Turkish air-conditioning company for whom the men worked has decided to halt its operations in Iraq and to withdraw its workers.
More than 20 Turks have been kidnapped in Iraq since the US-led invasion. All of them, however, were subsequently freed.
Last year, one Turkish businessman was shot dead in Baghdad.
Tüzmen said that the restoration of stability and order in Iraq would boost Turkish exports to the country.