Turkey boosts trade with Kyrgyzystan

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Turkey is willing to increase its trade volume with Kyrgyzystan, Turkish Economy Minister
Zafer Çağlayan said during a meeting yesterday with Kyrgyzystan’s Economy and Anti-monopoly Policies Minister Temir Sariev in Ankara.

“There was a 50 percent increase in Turkish exports to Kyrgyzstan between Jan. 1 and Aug. 13, and our imports from this country also rose during the same period. At the end of the year, our trade volume will exceed $300 million. We asked our construction sector to participate in the development of Kyrgyzystan, and they have done $585 million in business there,” Çağlayan told reporters after the meeting.
The relationship between Turkey and Kyrgyzystan was elevated to the strategic alliance level with yesterday’s meeting, Çağlayan said. The bilateral trade volume between the two countries has now increased to $232 million, up from $41 million in 2001, he said.

The trade volume between the two countries is insufficient, Sariev said.

Meanwhile, Turkey and Azerbaijan reached consensus on an increase in bilateral investments, after a meeting of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States (CCTS) in Baku, Çağlayan said yesterday.