ID :
159104
Mon, 02/07/2011 - 00:08
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http://m.oananews.org//node/159104
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Turkey and Iran sign a protocol during the 22nd Joint Economic Committee meeting
TEHRAN (A.A) - Feb 6 - Turkey and Iran signed a protocol on Sunday during the 22nd Joint Economic Committee (JEC) meeting in Tehran.
Turkish State Minister Cevdet Yilmaz and Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Ekber Salihi signed the protocol.
Speaking prior to the signature ceremony, Yilmaz said the protocol offered major opportunities.
Yilmaz said Turkey was working to enhance its commercial and economic relations with all of its neighbours.
"Turkey and Iran, with a total population of 150 million and a combined purchasing power parity of 2 trillion USD, displays great potential, in terms of economic and commercial relations. However we can't say that we truly tapped into this this potential yet," said Yilmaz.
Yilmaz who said that economic relations with Iran displayed a rising trend parallel to the improving political relations. He said the trade volume between the two countries which was 1 billion USD in 2000, increased more than 10 folds in the last decade and reached 10.7 billion USD.
Yilmaz said cooperation opportunities in the fields of commerce, free zones, construction and technical consultancy services, transportation, industry, customs, investment, private sector, exports, standardization, accredition, meteorology, science, energy, agriculture, environment, radio and television, labour and social security were discussed during the meeting.
Also speaking before the ceremony, Iranian FM Salihi said the two countries had the potential to carry their relations forward. "Iran and Turkey are two countries that complete each other," he said.
Salihi said the two countries aimed at increasing their volume of trade to 30 billion USD in five years.
He emphasized that protectionist measures, heavy bureaucracy, lack of cooperation amongst banks, the private sectors' lack of knowledge about each other, were possible reasons as to why the economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries was not at the desired level.
He said interconnecting the railways of the two countries could make significant contributions to the promotion of trade and tourism among the two countries.
Turkish State Minister Cevdet Yilmaz and Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Ekber Salihi signed the protocol.
Speaking prior to the signature ceremony, Yilmaz said the protocol offered major opportunities.
Yilmaz said Turkey was working to enhance its commercial and economic relations with all of its neighbours.
"Turkey and Iran, with a total population of 150 million and a combined purchasing power parity of 2 trillion USD, displays great potential, in terms of economic and commercial relations. However we can't say that we truly tapped into this this potential yet," said Yilmaz.
Yilmaz who said that economic relations with Iran displayed a rising trend parallel to the improving political relations. He said the trade volume between the two countries which was 1 billion USD in 2000, increased more than 10 folds in the last decade and reached 10.7 billion USD.
Yilmaz said cooperation opportunities in the fields of commerce, free zones, construction and technical consultancy services, transportation, industry, customs, investment, private sector, exports, standardization, accredition, meteorology, science, energy, agriculture, environment, radio and television, labour and social security were discussed during the meeting.
Also speaking before the ceremony, Iranian FM Salihi said the two countries had the potential to carry their relations forward. "Iran and Turkey are two countries that complete each other," he said.
Salihi said the two countries aimed at increasing their volume of trade to 30 billion USD in five years.
He emphasized that protectionist measures, heavy bureaucracy, lack of cooperation amongst banks, the private sectors' lack of knowledge about each other, were possible reasons as to why the economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries was not at the desired level.
He said interconnecting the railways of the two countries could make significant contributions to the promotion of trade and tourism among the two countries.
