ISTANBUL - Turkey and Turkish products will be promoted in seven countries by the Silk Road Turkish Export Products Fair to be displayed on ''Istanbul-Almaty Silk Road Train'', sources said on Monday.
The same sources said that Silk Road Train would depart from Istanbul on September 22nd and stop by Iran, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
The train will reach Almaty, Kazakhstan on October 29th and Kazakh capital Astana on November 3.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will inaugurate the fair in Almaty.
The train would travel 10,560 kilometers in 41 days, the same sources said, adding that Turkish export products fair would be held on the route of the train.
Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen, who promoted the fair, said that Turkey had launched this project in order to promote its industrial products in Turkish republics having a special place in Turkey's strategy to develop trade with neighboring and surrounding countries, increase railway transportation, and to benefit from Turkey's tourism, culture and arts potential.
Turkey's trade with countries situated on the route of the Silk Road Train rose by 56 percent in 2003 and 48 percent in the first half of this year, Tuzmen stated.
Under this project, Turkey also aimed to stress the whole world that it was a bridge between Europe and Asia, and increase share of railway transportation in foreign trade by activating Istanbul-Almaty railway, Tuzmen said.
''Other targets of the project are improving trade with the mentioned countries, developing economic relations on a win-win basis, opening Central Asian countries to the world via Turkey, strengthening Turkey's position in Europe-Far East transportation line, promoting Turkey's tourism, culture and arts, and promoting high-quality Turkish products,'' Tuzmen said.
Tuzmen noted that there would be exhibition containers on the train in which products of world-famous Turkish companies would be displayed.
One of the containers would be allocated for tourism, culture-arts, another for trade information and contracting services, and the other for the Directorate of Development of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, Tuzmen said.
Tuzmen stated that Turkish companies would hold talks in the cities where the train would stop and promote Turkish cuisine as well as touristic, cultural and artistic activities.
Noting that there were five separate lines known as the Silk Road route, Tuzmen said that they preferred the most appropriate route for the railway transportation among these five routes.
Tuzmen added that Turkey aimed to increase its trade volume with the countries where the train would stop to 70-75 percent.
(BRC-AÖ) 19.07.2004