ISTANBUL - State Minister Kursad Tuzmen said on Friday, ''under our program to increase exports to neighboring and regional countries we have set up business connections worth of 1.3 billion U.S. dollars during our visits to the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Syria, Algeria and Sudan.''
Tuzmen left for Saudi Arabia together with a delegation of more than 100 businessmen.
Holding a press conference at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport prior to his departure, Tuzmen said that he would hold talks with Saudi ministers of trade, finance, agriculture, transportation public works, oil and natural resources.
''During our contacts, efforts to increase mutual trade and investments will be taken up. We attribute great importance to the issues of mutual encouragement and protection of investments, prevention of double taxation and cooperation in customs,'' he said.
Referring to commercial relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, Tuzmen told reporters, ''trade volume between the two countries was 2.1 billion U.S. dollars in 1996. However, trade volume decreased to 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2002. Turkey exported goods of 543 million U.S. dollars to Saudi Arabia in 2002. I want to stress that current trade volume between Turkey and Saudi Arabia was far away from the desired level. We aim at increasing trade volume up to 3 billion U.S. dollars in a short period of time.''
''Under our program to increase exports to neighboring and regional countries, we have set up business connections worth of 1.3 billion U.S. dollars during our visits to the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Syria, Algeria and Sudan,'' he noted.
When asked, ''the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) stated that a Free Trade Agreement with the United States could not co-exist with the European Union (EU) full membership. Is it correct?'' Tuzmen said, ''Turkey's signing a free trade agreement with another country without approval of the EU is quite difficult under the Customs Union Agreement. Countries, which have signed free trade agreements with the EU, refrain from signing free trade agreements with us. There is a serious unfairness. I will meet with the president of the EU Commission in May and discuss these issues in detail.''
(UK-AÖ) 07.03.2003