Tuzmen Continues His Contacts In Syria

DAMASCUS - State Minister Kursat Tuzmen said on Sunday that the target of the government was to increase trade with all countries in the region.
Tuzmen, who continues his contacts in Damascus, Syria, told journalists that the trade with Syria would further increase in the coming period. Noting that Syria undertook important reforms, Tuzmen said that Syria started to liberalize its trade.
''When Turkey undertook economic reforms in 1980s, its trade volume had increased. Likewise imports and exports of Syria will increase...Our businessmen are pleased with the idea of improving trade with regional countries. Having sound political, commercial relations with the regional countries will constitute a security belt for us,'' Tuzmen said.
Upon a question, Tuzmen said that ''the exports of Turkey increased from 30 billion U.S. dollars to 35 billion dollars. This year it will increase to 40 billion U.S. dollars. In three years, it will increase to 50 billion dollars.''
''What is the place of Armenia in the strategy of promoting exports with neighbour countries of Turkey?'' asked a journalist to Tuzmen who said that ''we believe that we must improve trade with all neighbours of Turkey as much as we can. Turkish products are sold in Armenia, but they are sold via Iran or other countries. They can also be sold directly, but we will do what is necessary for our national interests.''
Speaking to reporters, Tuzmen said that ''you see here our businessmen can speak without any problems. The situation in Iraq, Iran and Greece is the same. We must never forget in this region that we are the grandsons of the Ottoman Empire. We have respect and love here, because we lived together in the past... This constitutes a convenient commercial platform, we must use it.''
Tuzmen said in an earlier meeting with journalists in Damascus that both Turkey and Syria had a significant economic potential and that they wanted to activate this potential.
Tuzmen stressed that their final target was to sign a free trade agreement with Syria, adding that bureaucrats of the two countries also worked on preparing a preferential trade agreement.
Tuzmen said that the first target was to increase trade volume with each neighbour country of Turkey to one billion dollars, adding that the target was to increase the share of trade with neighbour countries in Turkey's total trade volume from 5 to 25 percent. In this case, Turkey would be an active country in the region, he said.