Turkish President Erdoğan seeks to boost trade ties with Belarus
ANKARA/MINSK - Anadolu Agency
“There was a drop in the trade volume between 2013 and 2015. But we can increase it to $1 billion in a very short space of time,” Erdoğan told reporters alongside his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.
“This is not difficult [to do] when you consider the two countries have a combined population of 90 million,” he added.
Erdoğan noted that Turkish entrepreneurs had investments worth about $1.5 billion in Belarus.
“The steps they [entrepreneurs] take together with businessmen here [in Belarus] would be a win-win for both countries,” he said.
Lukashenko, for his part, expressed his pleasure at Erdogan’s first ever visit to Minsk.
“With your visit, I am sure we can take our relations to the next level,” he said.
Erdoğan also attended the unveiling of a new grand mosque, funded in part by Ankara, built on the site of a historic mosque in Minsk.
He also addressed the Turkish-Belarus Business Forum later on Nov. 11.