‘Serious potential’ if Turkey, Azerbaijan join efforts

By Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU

Turkey and Azerbaijan should take a greater share from the region's prosperity, Turkey’s agriculture and forestry minister said on Tuesday.

Turkey has better market access to Europe and the Middle East, while Azerbaijan has easy access to Russia and Central Asia, Bekir Pakdemirli said at the Turkey-Azerbaijan Business Forum during his official visit to the capital Baku.

He said: "Combining our efforts would create a serious potential, it would mean selling our goods to the market worth $21 trillion."

He also said that Turkey is Europe's driving force with over 3 million agricultural enterprises, 5 million jobs in agriculture, 38 million hectares of agricultural land, $52.2 billion of agricultural revenue and $17 billion of agricultural exports.

Pakdemirli said Turkey ranks first in Europe and seventh in the world in the field of agriculture, stressing: "We want to share our experience with Azerbaijan."

Turkish minister also emphasized the need to enter a "new era" in commercial relations between the two countries.

"The bilateral trade volume is $1.7 billion. The target set by our presidents is $15 billion. We are far behind this target," Pakdemirli said.

He said the agricultural trade between Turkey and Azerbaijan is $130 and urged to increase the figure through setting the agricultural products of both countries as their top priority in trade.

The business forum, which was attended by around 100 Turkish businesspeople working in the field of agriculture and the food industry, continued with bilateral meetings.

The minister also visited the Baku office of Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the Baku Turkish Cultural Center of the Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) alongside his Azerbaijani counterpart Inam Karimov.

Pakdemirli also attended the Turkey-Azerbaijan Business Council meeting organized by the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board, where he listened to the problems and suggestions of businesspeople.