Trade between Moldova, Turkey to reach half billion dollars in 2017
14:26 | 19.12.2017 Category: Economic
Chisinau, 19 December /MOLDPRES/- Trade exchanges between Moldova and Turkey are developing dynamically, especially after the signing of the Free Trade Agreement, and will reach almost 500 million dollars this year, Minister of Economy and Infrastructure Octavian Calmic said after the end of the 9th meeting of the Moldovan-Turkish intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation.
Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Çavuşoğlu said that foreign trade between the two countries increased more than ten times compared to 2000, when the Moldovan-Turkish trade amounted to 45 million dollars. “The potential is higher. I hope we will reach the figure we want, 1 billion dollars, and thanks to the Free Trade Agreement, in the shortest time”, he said.
The sides discussed the development of the economic relations between the two states, as well as opportunities to boost them, including by implementing new bilateral projects in various sectors.
Calmic noted that Turkey ranks seventh among foreign partners of Moldova and third among the countries that have invested in Moldovan economy. Only over the past years, over 22 million dollars had been invested, and the 1,250 Turkish-owned enterprises “will diversify trade in both goods and services”.
Calmic praised the Turkish authorities’ willingness to financially support the establishment of a commercial-economic office under the Moldovan Embassy in Turkey residing in Istanbul, and organisation of an investment forum in Istanbul in February 2018. “There is the intention of the sides to liberalize the field of services, especially, air and land transport, so that trade should become more fluid”, Calmic said.
“Turkey was among the first countries to support Moldova and I assure you that this support will continue without any drop in intensity”, the Turkish official said.
According to statistics, Moldovan exports to Turkey increased by 1.6 times and imports by 10.8 per cent in the first ten months of 2017.
(Reporter V. Bercu, editor M. Jantovan)
