ISTANBUL, July 20 (AFP) - Turkey and the Palestinian Authority on Tuesday signed an agreement aimed at boosting bilateral cooperation and commerce, the Anatolia news agency reported.
The agreement, inked by Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen and Palestinian economy minister Maher al-Masri, lifts customs duties and overlapping duties in the import of industrial products.
It also foresees cooperation in many fields from agriculture to industry, and Turkish technical assistance to Palestinians.
"What we want to do is to open up the Turkish market to the Palestinians, to acquire the inputs we need from the Palestinian market and to provide the Palestinians with the products and services they need," Tuzmen told reporters.
Bilateral trade between Turkey and the Palestinian Authority stood at 6.7 million dollars, 6.2 million dollars of it constituting Turkish exports.
Mainly Muslim Turkey enjoys full diplomatic ties with the Palestinians and supports their bid for a state, but it has also forged close relations with Israel.