ANKARA - Turkey`s Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the energy agreement signed Wednesday between Czech Cez and Turkey`s Akenerji companies, expressing his hope that it would contribute to relations between the two countries.
Following delegation and tete-a-tete meetings, Erdogan and his Czech counterpart Mirek Topalenek held a joint press conference in Ankara.
Erdogan thanked Czech Republic for its continuing support for Turkey`s EU bid and said he believed this support would continue after Czech Republic resumed the rotating EU Presidency in the first half of 2009.
Erdogan said as of 2007 the trade volume between the two countries was 1.5 billion USD and expressed his expectancy that it would reach 2 billion USD by the end of the year.
Erdogan invited entrepreneurs from the two countries to cooperate in the fields of energy, tourism and construction.
-ENERGY AGREEMENT-
Czech Cez and Turkey`s Akenerji companies signed a strategic partnership agreement based on equal partnership.
Initially, Cez will pay, 303 million USD for 37.4 percent shares of Akenerji.
A press release issued by Akenerji said the two companies planned an investment of 3 billion USD and increase their electricity production to 3,000mw until 2013.
(OZG-AÖ)
(DIP)