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"There will be comprehensive business forum in Shanghai on September 25 which will gather Chinese and Turkish investors. A joint economic commission meeting in Beijing will follow the business forum which will be a venue for major decisions that are expected to make important improvements to relations between Turkey and China," Çağlayan said.
Turkey, Iraq in extensive cooperation talks
Senior ministers from Turkey and Iraq met here Thursday for two-day talks aimed at boosting cooperation in a wide range of areas, mainly in the economic field.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu hailed the meeting as "a new model of partnership" between the two neighbours, whose ties have often been troubled by separatist Kurdish rebels taking refuge in the mountains of northern Iraq.
"The objective is to secure genuine economic integration on the highest possible level between our countries," Davutoglu said.
"The projects that we are going to develop will link Basra and Edirne," he said referring to the southern Iraqi city and Turkey's westernmost province.
His counterpart Hoshyar Zebari, who led the Iraqi delegation, pledged to boost cooperation "in all fields ... security, economics, energy, water and health."
The meeting was meant to prepare the ground for a visit to Baghdad by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, planned for October, during which the two sides are expected to launch a series of joint projects.
The two countries' ministers of the interior, foreign trade, energy, construction, health, transport, agriculture and environment were taking part in the talks.
Turkish-Iraqi ties have improved since last year after Baghdad and the Iraqi Kurds pledged to end the safe haven Kurdish rebels enjoy in northern Iraq, setting up a three-way commission, including the United States, to deal with the problem.
Later Thursday, Davutoglu and Zebari were to be joined by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa for talks aimed at defusing simmering tensions between Baghdad and Damascus.
Turkey has been acting as a peacebroker after the neighbours' tit-for-tit recall of envoys last month, six days after massive bomb attacks in Baghdad whose masterminds, Iraq says, are harboured in Syria.
17 September 2009
Turkey eyes economic integration with Iraq, foreign trade minister says
Turkish foreign trade minister said Thursday his country sought ways for economic integration with Iraq through close cooperation.
"We have recently signed an agreement with Iraq for high level strategic cooperation and we are planning an integrated economy between the two countries," State Minister Zafer Çağlayan told reporters during a visit in Bucharest, Romania.
Çağlayan said the cooperation mechanism with Iraq envisaged no less than three meetings a year between Turkish and Iraqi ministers to set new trade goals aimed at third countries.
"After discussions on the ministerial level, joint decisions will be taken in joint cabinet meetings co-chaired by the prime ministers of the two countries, and these decision will be implemented jointly," Çağlayan said.
The Turkish minister said he was planning to visit 11 countries by the end of October, adding that he would visit a number of these countries twice, including China.
"There will be comprehensive business forum in Shanghai on September 25 which will gather Chinese and Turkish investors. A joint economic commission meeting in Beijing will follow the business forum which will be a venue for major decisions that are expected to make important improvements to relations between Turkey and China," Çağlayan said.
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