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Taiwan seeks air links, visa-free status with Turkey
Taiwan is exploring the possibility of opening direct air links and entering a visa waiver agreement with Turkey, following recent breakthroughs in gaining visa-free status in the European Union, Vice Economics Minister Lin Sheng-chung said Saturday.
Lin said he raised the issues during a recent visit to Turkey and received "positive and optimistic" responses from the Eurasian nation.
According to Lin, the number of Taiwanese visitors to Turkey totaled only several thousand a year at present, mainly because of visa requirements and the lack of convenient air travel services.
The number will definitely increase if Taiwan is granted visa-free status with Turkey, he predicted.
Britain, for example, has received significantly larger numbers of visitors from Taiwan after including Taiwan in its visa-waiver program in 2009, he noted.
EVA Airways, which provided only two flights per week to London in the past, has since operated daily flights on the route, while China Airlines now offers four weekly flights to the British capital, Lin said.
Lin is the highest-ranking official from Taiwan to have visited Turkey. The April 6-8 trip was part of a trade promotion tour through Central and Eastern Europe that was organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council.
According to Lin, the trip was an "ice-breaking" mission that Taiwan hopes will open the doors for the establishment of a government-to-government communication mechanism with Turkey to boost bilateral economic and trade relations.
With a population of 73 million, half of which are younger than 29, Turkey is considered a market with considerable consumption potential, Lin said.
Taiwan seeks air links, visa-free status with Turkey - CNA ENGLISH NEWS
Taiwan is exploring the possibility of opening direct air links and entering a visa waiver agreement with Turkey, following recent breakthroughs in gaining visa-free status in the European Union, Vice Economics Minister Lin Sheng-chung said Saturday.
Lin said he raised the issues during a recent visit to Turkey and received "positive and optimistic" responses from the Eurasian nation.
According to Lin, the number of Taiwanese visitors to Turkey totaled only several thousand a year at present, mainly because of visa requirements and the lack of convenient air travel services.
The number will definitely increase if Taiwan is granted visa-free status with Turkey, he predicted.
Britain, for example, has received significantly larger numbers of visitors from Taiwan after including Taiwan in its visa-waiver program in 2009, he noted.
EVA Airways, which provided only two flights per week to London in the past, has since operated daily flights on the route, while China Airlines now offers four weekly flights to the British capital, Lin said.
Lin is the highest-ranking official from Taiwan to have visited Turkey. The April 6-8 trip was part of a trade promotion tour through Central and Eastern Europe that was organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council.
According to Lin, the trip was an "ice-breaking" mission that Taiwan hopes will open the doors for the establishment of a government-to-government communication mechanism with Turkey to boost bilateral economic and trade relations.
With a population of 73 million, half of which are younger than 29, Turkey is considered a market with considerable consumption potential, Lin said.
Taiwan seeks air links, visa-free status with Turkey - CNA ENGLISH NEWS
