Turkiye, Ukraine set to sign free trade agreement on Thursday

ANKARA

Turkiye and Ukraine are set to sign a historic free trade agreement on Thursday, the Turkish trade minister said on Wednesday.

"Tomorrow, hopefully, we will sign a New Generation Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine as the fruit of more than a decade of negotiations," Mehmet Mus said during a press conference held in the capital Ankara.

Pointing to the strong ties between Turkiye and Ukraine, including trade, Mus said the bilateral trade volume jumped 59% to $7.4 billion in 2021.

"Especially the diversification of the products subject to our bilateral trade is pleasing," Mus added.

The deal is an important step to reach the $10 billion bilateral trade volume target set by the two countries' presidents, he underlined.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Kyiv on Feb. 3, when Kyiv will be hosting the 10th High-Level Strategic Council between Turkiye and Ukraine.

The leaders of the two states are expected to attend the event, which will also mark the 30th anniversary of their countries' relations.

Dating back to 1991, when Ukraine declared its independence, Turkiye was the first to recognize its new status.