MOSCOW - Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen opened on Tuesday the 2nd International Fabrics Machinery and Auxiliary Industry Exhibition (EXPOTEX 2004) in Russian capital Moscow. He later visited Turkish stands in 7th International Leather and Fur Fair (LeShow 2004).
Taking the floor during the inauguration, Minister Tuzmen said that Russia had become one of the target markets to which Turkish entrepreneurs attached greater importance due to its rich resources, population, geographical closeness and neighborly relations.
Tuzmen noted that Turkish industrialists considered Russian Federation as an export market and contributed to economic development of this country with direct investments.
Unregistered trade made up to now by Russian businessmen and tourists had now been replaced with regular trade, Tuzmen added. He said that bilateral trade volume reached 1.3 billion U.S. dollars last year. Turkey's share in Russia's textile imports was 10 percent in 2003.
Leather products and clothing exports from Turkey to Russia had reached 101 million U.S. dollars in 2003, Tuzmen pointed out.
He added that Turkish exporters would have no difficulty as long as they offered high-quality goods and service.
Turkish Ambassador to Russia Kurtulus Taskent also called on Turkish businessmen to increase their export volume since Russia was a rich country and a big market.
The Expotex 2004, organized by Turkel Fair Organization, will stay open until July 8th. The companies participating in the fair are active in fabrics, weaving, knitting, thread, design-stamps, weaving-knitting loom machinery, clothing machinery and accessories, subsidiary industries, paint-textile machines and subsidiary industries, textile chemicals, thread machinery and accessories sectors.
The LeShow 2004, also organized by the same company, will remain open till July 8th.
(BRC-ULG) 06.07.2004