Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country and Germany aim to increase the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries from $50 billion to $60 billion.

This came in a joint press conference on Wednesday held by President Erdogan with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Erdogan added: “We hope that Turkey and Germany will from now on talk about joint production projects in defense industries and not about obstacles.”

He continued: “We want to completely remove from our agenda the restrictions we face in the defense industries with Germany.”

He stressed that human ties contributed to strengthening existing bilateral relations between the two countries, thanking in this context the German people for standing by the Turks in the devastating earthquake disaster that struck southern Turkey on February 6, 2023.

The Turkish President pointed out that he discussed with his German counterpart bilateral relations in all their aspects and details, stressing Ankara’s desire to strengthen relations with Berlin.

He continued: “Our cooperation in the field of tourism is developing day after day. In 2023, we hosted more than 6 million German tourists, and I believe that this number will increase.”

He added: “We discussed the steps that must be taken, especially with regard to the customs union agreement and visa liberalization. We also exchanged views on regional and international developments.”

Erdogan indicated that he discussed with Steinmeier issues related to the Turkish community in Germany, and stated that they attach importance to the integration of the Turkish community there and encourage it to do so.

He stressed that Turkey considers the new German citizenship law, which makes dual citizenship possible, an important step in this context.

He added, “But on the other hand, our concerns are increasing about the anti-foreigner, anti-Islamic, far-right, and racist organizations that are rising in Germany and throughout Europe.”

He stated that during his meeting with Steinmeier, he also touched on combating terrorist organizations that disturb the peace in Germany and attack representative offices belonging to Turkey.

He continued: “We need more effective cooperation in combating these organizations that harm our alliance. We expect more support and solidarity from the German authorities in the fight against terrorism.”

The post Erdogan: We aim to increase trade exchange with Germany appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Turkey achieved one billion and 700 million dollars in medical tourism revenues during the first nine months of the current year 2023.

This came in a speech by Turkish Trade Minister Omer Polat on Thursday during the opening of the ETHEXPO Eurasia Tourism and Health Exhibition, which was organized in Istanbul within the framework of the activities of the 10th International Halal Expo and the 9th World Halal Summit.

Polat pointed out that Turkey during the era of the Justice and Development Party (21 years ago) established about a thousand hospitals, in addition to 25 medical cities that were established or are still under construction.

He stressed that “Turkey has become an important health base for the world during the last ten years.”

He explained that 1.2 million people came from outside the country to Turkey in 2022 and received health care.

He continued: “Compared to 2012, the number has increased 5 times, and these services have brought 2 billion and 100 million dollars in foreign exchange to our country.”

He stated that the first nine months of this year witnessed one million and 30 thousand people coming to Turkey to receive health care, “and one billion and 700 million dollars were earned from medical tourism revenues.”

In another context, Polat pointed out that the share of trade exchange with countries of the Islamic world in total Turkish trade was 11 percent 20 years ago, and last year it reached 26 percent, stressing that their goal is to raise it to 35 percent by 2028.

The post Turkey.. $1.7 billion in medical tourism revenues appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Turkish Trade Minister Omer Polat stated that members of the Organization of Turkic States agreed to strengthen economic and trade cooperation and continue working on implementing new projects.

This came in a press statement following the 12th meeting of the ministers responsible for trade and economy in the Organization of Turkish States and the 14th meeting of the Economic Cooperation Working Group in Istanbul.

The Organization of Turkic States was established in 2009 and includes Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.​​​​​​

Hungary, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus all hold “observer member” status in the organization.

Ministers, representatives and members of delegations from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Hungary, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Turkmenistan participated in the meeting.

Polat explained in his statement that the Organization of Turkish States has strong potential and that it decided to continue working to strengthen the foundations of the organization and create new projects in the fields of trade and economics to make it one of the leading organizations of the 21st century.

He added that the countries of the organization agreed to implement new generation tools to enhance economic and trade cooperation, such as signing the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement between member states.

He stressed that, given the increasing importance of trade in services and investments in the current century, the OIC countries are working to establish a free trade agreement in the field of services and investments.

He continued: “Today we have demonstrated our intention to begin negotiations on this agreement as soon as possible.”

He pointed out that member states agreed to increase mutual investments and support small and medium enterprises with the aim of increasing intra-regional trade.

He pointed out that the volume of trade exchange between member states of the organization last year amounted to about 33 billion dollars.

He stated that the goal is to raise the proportion of exports among OIC countries from 6 to 10 percent of total exports to countries of the world in the coming period.

The post The Turkish countries agree to enhance joint economic cooperation appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that the message that will be sent to the world regarding the grain shipping agreement through the Black Sea following his meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will be very important.

This came in a speech before the start of his meeting with Putin in the Russian city of Sochi on Monday.

Erdogan said in this regard: “After our meeting (with Putin), the message that will be sent to the world, especially African countries, will be very important.”

Erdogan explained that the volume of trade exchange between Turkey and Russia currently amounts to $62 billion, and that it is a pleasure to make progress towards the goal of raising this number to $100 billion.

He added: “The upcoming meeting of the heads of the Turkish and Russian Central Banks is of great importance in terms of moving towards the use of local currencies in commercial exchanges.”

The post We will send a message to the world about the grain agreement appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

On Saturday, Emirati newspapers praised the signing of a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with Turkey, stressing that it is “a historic milestone in the course of relations and inaugurates a new phase of cooperation and friendship between the two countries.”

This came, according to what was reported by the official Emirates News Agency, the day after the two countries signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the aim of enhancing trade and mutual investments between the two countries.

The signing was witnessed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during a summit they held via visual communication technology.

According to the agency, “the local newspapers issued on Saturday morning confirmed that the partnership agreement marks a new stage in the path of relations and constitutes an advanced historical station and a new era in the path of joint cooperation towards broader areas for the benefit of the two countries.”

Under the headline “UAE and Turkey… Partnership and Development,” Al-Ittihad newspaper said that the agreement “inaugurates a new phase in the path of relations, cooperation and friendship,” according to the same source.

The newspaper stressed that the agreement “lays strong foundations for accelerating trade exchange,” noting that “Turkey is the fastest growing partner among the UAE’s top 10 trade partners.”

Al-Ittihad newspaper added, “The UAE and Turkey are among the most important and most developed economies, and they meet as crossing points and two important commercial centers linking the East and the West.”

And she stressed that this matter “contributes to advancing development, not only between the two countries, but also at the level of the region and the world.”

The newspaper pointed out that “the UAE and Turkey will be able, through this partnership, to move forward towards construction and development, and to overcome the conditions left by the earthquake (which occurred on February 6) and open horizons for great opportunities.”

In the same context, the Emirati newspaper, Al-Watan, said that this agreement “constitutes an advanced historical station in the march of qualitative relations and a new era in the path of joint cooperation towards broader areas for the benefit of the two countries,” according to the agency.

Under the headline “The UAE and Turkey… Historical Relations and a Comprehensive Economic Partnership,” the newspaper went on to say that “the agreement is the culmination of ties based on strong foundations that characterize the relations of the two countries and their growing importance, both at the regional and global levels.”

On Friday, President Erdogan expressed his confidence in increasing the volume of trade exchange with the UAE to $25 billion in 5 years, thanks to the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Erdogan thanked everyone who contributed to the signing of the agreement, sending his greetings in his name and the Turkish people to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the Emirates, and all members of his family.

In a tweet, the UAE president described the agreement as “a qualitative step in the course of the two countries’ relations.”

The post The partnership agreement with Turkey is a historic milestone appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that specialized teams from 74 countries are supporting his country’s cadres in search and rescue operations for survivors from under the rubble as a result of the earthquake that struck the south of the country.

This came in a speech he made Thursday during a joint press conference with his Costa Rican counterpart, Arnoldo Andre Tinoco, after their meeting in the capital, Ankara.

Çavuşoğlu added that the total number of foreign personnel currently participating in search and rescue operations is 7,98, who came from 74 countries.

The Turkish minister also made it clear that 4,236 foreign personnel from 15 countries left Turkey after completing their duties in the earthquake zones.

He stated that 439 personnel from one country (which he did not name) are expected to arrive in the coming days to join the search and rescue operations in the earthquake areas.

In another context, Çavuşoğlu expressed his thanks to Costa Rica for the messages of condolences and solidarity that his country received from them after the earthquake.

He pointed out that despite the geographical distance between the two countries, they share many opportunities with each other in various fields.

He pointed out that the volume of trade exchange between Turkey and Costa Rica is currently about $157 million.

The post Çavuşoğlu: Teams from 74 countries are supporting Turkey appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Cengiz Doge, head of the Turkish and Brazilian Business Council of the Council for Foreign Economic Relations (DEIK), said that the council aims to increase Turkey’s trade volume with Latin American countries from $15 billion to $30-35 billion in 5 years.

Doge said that Turkey is striving to strengthen its trade relations with all Latin American countries in the coming years.

He added that the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Council invited all investors in Latin America to go to Turkey and invest in it.

He continued, “We have informed all investors of the privileges granted by the Turkish government to foreign investors.”

He pointed out that the volume of trade exchange between Turkey and Brazil is currently around 5 billion dollars, and that this figure is likely to rise in the coming years.

He stated that the number of Colombian tourists arriving in Turkey during the past year reached a record high of 14,000.

The post Turkey seeks to raise its trade with Latin America to 35 billion dollars appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said that the agreements concluded between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan “will serve peace, stability and development of our peoples, our region and the wider geography.”

This came in a joint press conference he held with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Turkmenistan Rashid Muradov in the city of Turkmen Bashi on Wednesday.

He added, “We are living in historic days when the leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Turkmenistan meet for the first time in a tripartite summit, and great preparations and intensive negotiations have been made in all fields.”

He pointed out that the volume of trade exchange between Azerbaijan and Turkey reached $5 billion in 2022, while the volume of trade exchange between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan rose to record numbers after it increased fivefold.

He pointed out that with the three countries signing five agreements and declarations, “they will contribute significantly to the economic field for all.”

Regarding transportation, transit and logistical services opportunities in the three countries, Bayramov indicated that they are of particular importance today and have great potential.

“Through these capabilities, our cooperation can be further strengthened by establishing trade routes between Europe and Central Asia through Turkey, the South Caucasus and the Caspian Sea, which is one of the directions of the historical Silk Road,” the Azerbaijani minister added.

He continued, “The priority issue for Azerbaijan is the reconstruction of the liberated areas in the Karabakh region from the Armenian occupation, and more than 700,000 of our compatriots need to return to their lands safely.”

He indicated that Azerbaijan is implementing major projects in the lands liberated from the Armenian occupation, and $1.8 billion has been allocated from the 2023 budget for this purpose.

Regarding the Zangezur corridor, which will link Azerbaijan and the Nakhivan region via Armenia by land, Bayramov confirmed that work is continuing for its opening.

And he added, “The agreements signed between us will contribute to peace, stability and development for our peoples, our region and the broad geography.”

The post Tripartite agreements with Turkey and Turkmenistan will serve peace appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said that his country and the United States are moving forward towards achieving their goal of raising trade exchange between them to $100 billion.

This came in a video message he sent to the I AmChamPion 2022 Awards Ceremony organized by the American Corporate Association (AmCham Türkiye) on Monday evening in Istanbul.

Oktay explained that the bilateral relations between Turkey and the United States of America are developing in all fields.

He added that the volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached 31.4 billion dollars, and that both sides seek to raise the figure to 100 billion dollars.

The vice president noted that trade relations between Turkey and the United States are based on mutual profit.

He continued, “American brands must make Turkey a center for production, export and trade, and Turkish brands must increase their presence in the American market.”

For his part, the head of the investment office in the Turkish presidency, Buraq Daglioglu, said that direct international investments in the first 10 months of this year amounted to $10.3 billion.

He added that the principle of sustainability is indispensable in attracting all investments to Turkey.

The post Ankara: We are going to raise our trade exchanges with Washington appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu praised Turkey’s efforts to reach the “grain corridor” agreement across the Black Sea.

This came during a joint press conference he held with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, on the sidelines of his visit to Ankara on Tuesday.

Orescu said that the grain corridor agreement was concluded thanks to the Turkish efforts, expressing his country’s appreciation for this matter.

He confirmed that he had discussed with Çavuşoğlu in Ankara issues of common interest between the two countries, as well as ways to enhance bilateral cooperation.

He pointed out that Turkey is the second most important trading partner of Romania and that the volume of trade between them amounted to 8.6 billion dollars last year.

He stated that the two countries aim to raise the volume of trade exchange to $10 billion this year.

On July 22, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations signed the “Document of the Initiative for Safe Shipping of Grains and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian Ports” during a meeting hosted by Istanbul.

The agreement guarantees securing grain exports that are stuck in Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea (Eastern Europe) to the world.

On November 17, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the extension of the grain corridor agreement across the Black Sea for 120 days, starting on the 19th of the same month.

The post Romania praises Turkey’s efforts to reach a grain agreement appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.