ISTANBUL - Turkish Industry & Trade Minister Zafer Caglayan said on Thursday that there were 17 billion tons of oil and 2 million tons of natural gas reserves in Eurasian geography.
"These resources should be evaluated to make people in the region reach a prosperous future," he added.
Speaking at the 11th Eurasia Economy Summit in Istanbul, Caglayan said that Turkey was a strong bridge which connected Asia and Europe, and Western world and Islamic world.
Caglayan said that besides its strategic location, Turkey was on an important place with its wide domestic market, young population, strong industry, agricultural potential, tourism, history and cultural richness.
Referring to macro-economic indicators, Caglayan said that Turkish economy had been growing for the last 24 quarters.
Caglayan said that Turkey`s gross national product was 659 billion USD in 2007. He added that Turkey was the 17th biggest economy of the world and 6th of Europe.
(GC-MS)