Lankan Ranger
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Turkish-Russian relations expanding into new areas
“Turkish-Russian relations dating back to long ago are taking confident steps toward the future, diversifying into the fields of economy, politics, military and culture,” he told the Turkish-Russian Business Forum jointly organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TİM) and the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) in Moscow on Tuesday.
Following a high-level cooperation council meeting he co-chaired with Russian President Medvedev in Moscow on Wednesday, Prime Minister Erdoğan said Turkey would go ahead with its nuclear energy program despite the catastrophe and the unfolding nuclear disaster in Japan, starting first with the Akkuyu nuclear power plant that will be constructed by Russia
Erdoğan travelled to the Russian capital earlier on Tuesday and was received by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev before attending the forum, where he addressed almost a thousand Turkish and Russian businesspeople who had gathered to discuss trade and investment opportunities.
A number of Turkish ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Hayati Yazıcı, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız, Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergün, Foreign Trade Minister Zafer Çağlayan, Agriculture, Rural Affairs Minister Mehdi Eker and Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay, met with their Russian counterparts at a high-level cooperation council meeting later on Wednesday.
“According to the information I received, my colleagues are full of excitement here. This is another source of happiness for us,” Erdoğan said, expressing his hopes for this meeting and meetings between the businesspeople speaking at Tuesday’s forum. Erdoğan met Medvedev on Wednesday, too.
The volume of bilateral trade between the two nations, both of which border the Black Sea without having a common land border, was recorded at $26.5 billion last year. The sum of their trade volumes, however, is over $1 trillion, a sign of how little trade the two are doing with each other despite their geographical proximity and the size of their economies.
For Turkey, Russia is a key natural gas supplier, while Turkish businesspeople are particularly active in construction in the Russian market. Also speaking at the forum, Çağlayan said last year’s trade volume was “too little” for two economically powerful states such as Turkey and Russia.
$100 billion Turkey- Russia trade in 2015
Drawing attention to Turkey’s planned $100 billion in energy investments in the next two decades, Erdoğan called on Russian companies to take advantage of that development in Turkey. “This is equal to $5 billion in investment each year [for the next 20 years]. I believe this will provide Russian companies with significant opportunities,” he said.
Turkey has already agreed with Russia on the construction of a nuclear power plant in the southern province of Mersin’s Akkuyu district. Despite the recent catastrophe and unfolding nuclear disaster in northeastern Japan, Erdoğan said Turkey would go on with its plans to acquire nuclear plants, including the one Russia will build in Akkuyu.
“We want to start this as soon as possible. Everything is ready,” he noted. The investment required for the project is expected to be around $20 billion. Also speaking at the forum, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said the Akkuyu nuclear power plant will be the “best of its kind in the world.”
During his speech at Tuesday’s forum, Erdoğan drew attention to Turkey’s aspirations to increase trade volume with Russia to $100 billion by the end of 2015. That the two nations agreed to remove visa requirements for each other’s citizens during a visit Medvedev paid in Turkey is expected to facilitate reaching this target. Starting on April 17, Turkish and Russian citizens will have the right to travel visa-free to each other’s countries for 30 days.
On the topic of construction projects in Russia, Erdoğan said Turkish contractors had already completed $32 billion in almost 1,200 projects around Russia.
At this point, Erdoğan vouched for Turkish contractors who eye securing business deals as Russia prepares to launch immense investments for the 2013 Summer Universiade games in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia, and the 2014 Winter Olympics in the southwestern Russian port city of Sochi. Sechin also said Russia hopes more Turkish contractors will conduct business operations across Russia.
PM Erdo
“Turkish-Russian relations dating back to long ago are taking confident steps toward the future, diversifying into the fields of economy, politics, military and culture,” he told the Turkish-Russian Business Forum jointly organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TİM) and the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) in Moscow on Tuesday.
Following a high-level cooperation council meeting he co-chaired with Russian President Medvedev in Moscow on Wednesday, Prime Minister Erdoğan said Turkey would go ahead with its nuclear energy program despite the catastrophe and the unfolding nuclear disaster in Japan, starting first with the Akkuyu nuclear power plant that will be constructed by Russia
Erdoğan travelled to the Russian capital earlier on Tuesday and was received by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev before attending the forum, where he addressed almost a thousand Turkish and Russian businesspeople who had gathered to discuss trade and investment opportunities.
A number of Turkish ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Hayati Yazıcı, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız, Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergün, Foreign Trade Minister Zafer Çağlayan, Agriculture, Rural Affairs Minister Mehdi Eker and Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay, met with their Russian counterparts at a high-level cooperation council meeting later on Wednesday.
“According to the information I received, my colleagues are full of excitement here. This is another source of happiness for us,” Erdoğan said, expressing his hopes for this meeting and meetings between the businesspeople speaking at Tuesday’s forum. Erdoğan met Medvedev on Wednesday, too.
The volume of bilateral trade between the two nations, both of which border the Black Sea without having a common land border, was recorded at $26.5 billion last year. The sum of their trade volumes, however, is over $1 trillion, a sign of how little trade the two are doing with each other despite their geographical proximity and the size of their economies.
For Turkey, Russia is a key natural gas supplier, while Turkish businesspeople are particularly active in construction in the Russian market. Also speaking at the forum, Çağlayan said last year’s trade volume was “too little” for two economically powerful states such as Turkey and Russia.
$100 billion Turkey- Russia trade in 2015
Drawing attention to Turkey’s planned $100 billion in energy investments in the next two decades, Erdoğan called on Russian companies to take advantage of that development in Turkey. “This is equal to $5 billion in investment each year [for the next 20 years]. I believe this will provide Russian companies with significant opportunities,” he said.
Turkey has already agreed with Russia on the construction of a nuclear power plant in the southern province of Mersin’s Akkuyu district. Despite the recent catastrophe and unfolding nuclear disaster in northeastern Japan, Erdoğan said Turkey would go on with its plans to acquire nuclear plants, including the one Russia will build in Akkuyu.
“We want to start this as soon as possible. Everything is ready,” he noted. The investment required for the project is expected to be around $20 billion. Also speaking at the forum, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said the Akkuyu nuclear power plant will be the “best of its kind in the world.”
During his speech at Tuesday’s forum, Erdoğan drew attention to Turkey’s aspirations to increase trade volume with Russia to $100 billion by the end of 2015. That the two nations agreed to remove visa requirements for each other’s citizens during a visit Medvedev paid in Turkey is expected to facilitate reaching this target. Starting on April 17, Turkish and Russian citizens will have the right to travel visa-free to each other’s countries for 30 days.
On the topic of construction projects in Russia, Erdoğan said Turkish contractors had already completed $32 billion in almost 1,200 projects around Russia.
At this point, Erdoğan vouched for Turkish contractors who eye securing business deals as Russia prepares to launch immense investments for the 2013 Summer Universiade games in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia, and the 2014 Winter Olympics in the southwestern Russian port city of Sochi. Sechin also said Russia hopes more Turkish contractors will conduct business operations across Russia.
PM Erdo
