ISTANBUL - Liberalization of trade in Euro-Mediterranean basin would guarantee sustainable development, said Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen.
Tuzmen, EU Commissioner for Trade Pascal Lamy and Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, held a joint press conference after the Fourth Euro-Mediterranean (EUROMED) Trade Ministers Conference held in Istanbul.
Tuzmen said that free trade agreements among European and Mediterranean countries would help to the establishment of a Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Zone before 2010, as foreseen in the Barcelona Declaration.
Tuzmen noted that delegates decided to facilitate trade and services; enhance standards, and showed their determination to succeed in negotiations on Doha Development Agenda.
After free trade zone agreements were signed among regional countries, trade volume would go up and new investment opportunities will be created, Tuzmen added.
On the other hand, Brinkhorst said that the Netherlands, the Acting President of the European Union (EU), attached great importance to Euro-Mediterranean dialogue, which would contribute to not only to the stability, but also to the development of the whole region.
Noting that during the Conference, they had agreed on a protocol, Brinkhorst said that this protocol would form the basis for the free movement of services, and added that he proposed to label the protocol as ''Istanbul Environment Protocol''.
Answering a question on Turkey's EU membership, Brinkhorst said that EU leaders would take an important decision on this matter in December 2004. ''Naturally'', Brinkhorst said, ''my country, as the Acting EU President, was in the opinion that Turkey made incredible progress in recent years, and was acting with a new spirit''.
Brinkhorst stated that not only economic but also political developments, including progress in democracy, human rights and minority rights areas were of great importance as regards accession to the EU, and added that EU leaders would consider all those issues, before deciding whether or not to open negotiations with Turkey in December.
(BRC-ULG) 21.07.2004