TURKEY, IRAQ WILLING TO BOOST TRADE TIES

ANKARA (A.A) - 23.03.2010 - Turkish industry and trade minister said Tuesday that Turkey and Iraq had good neighborhood relations, adding that better economic relations could help improve regional peace and development.
At his meeting with Sinan Celebi, industry and trade minister of the regional administration in the north of Iraq, Nihat Ergun said that Turkey was very pleased to see positive developments in Iraq.
He said Turkish and Iraqi peoples, two peoples sharing the same culture, geography and religion, could make contributions to each other to improve relations.
Sinan Celebi said that Turkey and Iraq had a trade volume of around $5 billion, however he said it should be increased to at least $20 billion in the near future.
Celebi stated that Turkish firms were very active in Iraq, saying 65 out of 140 foreign companies operating in Iraq were Turkish.
"Today, Iraq imports almost everything from Turkey. We want a second customs gate at the border which would double the trade between the two countries," Celebi said.
Celebi also said that Iraqi officials were working on plans to build an industry and trade zone at the border with Turkey.