By Sinan Uslu and Mahmut Atanur
SINGAPORE
Turkey hopes to develop its ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) further when Singapore chairs the regional body, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Monday.
Speaking at a joint news conference with his Singaporean counterpart in capital Singapore, Yildirim said his country appreciates the decision made earlier this month to include Turkey in ASEAN’s sectoral dialogue partnership group.
"Singapore played an important role [in Turkey's membership in ASEAN sectoral dialogue partnership group]. Next year, Singapore will chair ASEAN during which we want to develop our relations with ASEAN even more," he said.
He added that a strategic partnership was established between Singapore and Turkey in 2014, and bilateral relations took a new dimension when a free-trade agreement was signed during Premier Lee Hsien Loong's visit to Turkey in the same year.
"Singapore is a source of inspiration with its vision, creative economic model, development level, living standards and its progress," Yildirim said.
He said the bilateral trade was continuously increasing since the last 10 years and would accelerate with the free-trade agreement.
He called for exploring cooperation in aviation, tourism, , information, and communications sectors.
"Of course, I would like to express that we are ready to share any kind of our experience in the fight against global terrorism as a country which has paid a very high price due to terror in our region," he added.
Loong appreciated Yildirim's visit to the country.
He said he believed Turkey's membership in ASEAN sectoral dialogue partnership group would ensure the country’s active role in the region.
He also said bilateral relations had deepened following the strategic partnership established in 2014, adding that both sides would benefit hugely from the free-trade agreement.
Turkey, Singapore aim for $2B trade volume by 2018
Turkey and Singapore want to reach $2 billion in trade volume by the end of 2018, Ankara’s economy minister Nihat Zeybekci said during to the Turkey-Singapore Business Forum.
A free-trade agreement between Turkey and Singapore will come into force by Oct. 1, Zeybekci said.
"We started to talk on the broadest and most-comprehensive free-trade agreement in Turkey's history with and finalized it in 2015.
"Singapore is the first country I came to as a minister and the Singapore-Turkey free-trade agreement became the first free-trade agreement which I started and finalized as a minister," he added.
Zeybekci said the deal would be significant for free production, sales, service investments, public procurement and in other industrial fields.
Turkey's export value to Singapore last year totaled nearly $418 million while imports from the Asian country were worth $363 million in the same period, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.
Turkey's exports to Singapore saw an upward trend in the first half of 2017, reaching $434 million while imports were worth $177.5 million in the first six months of this year.
Zeybekci said there was also an opportunity for Singaporean and Turkish business circles to cooperate in third countries.
