Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat announced that a decision was made to continue the High Level Trade Dialogue Meetings between Turkey and the European Union (EU). Bolat and EU Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis made statements to the press at the end of the first Turkey-EU High Level Trade Dialogue Meeting held in Brussels.
“Today was a very important day for Turkey-EU relations,” said Bolat, adding that the talks were very productive. Minister Bolat noted that he was very happy and proud to have held the first meeting of the Turkey-EU High Level Trade Dialogue in Brussels, and said, “We believe that this newly established dialogue mechanism will be a milestone in Turkey-EU relations, “will open a new era, and will play a critical role in the development of our current trade partnership.”
Bolat stated that they held meetings that lasted approximately 6 hours today and emphasized that they discussed bilateral trade issues and areas of cooperation within the framework of the road map agreed upon with EU officials.
Progress was made on commercial matters:Bolat pointed out that they focused on a new, constructive and positive agenda between Turkey and the EU, and said, “Thanks to our sincere commitment and cooperation-oriented efforts, we have made significant progress in overcoming trade barriers and deepening our cooperation on green and digital transformation.”
The Customs Union contributed:Bolat, who stated that they saw the importance of Turkey-EU relations and the Customs Union in strengthening ties at the meeting, said, “The Customs Union has contributed to the increase in the quality of Turkey’s industrial infrastructure and the competitiveness of Turkish products in global markets. Turkey has become a production base very close to Europe and is well integrated into global supply chains with its qualified workforce.”
The Customs Union must be updated:Bolat stated that modernizing the Customs Union in line with the current realities of international trade would improve mutual economic security and increase the competitiveness and durability of mutual value chains, and noted that “In its current form, the Customs Union fails to reflect the full potential of our comprehensive and solid partnership.”
High-level meetings continue: Minister Bolat said, “We will hold these high-level meetings once a year. We invited Dombrovskis and the EU side to Turkey for the second meeting. We will also hold high-level trade working group meetings twice a year. The first of these meetings will be held before the end of this year.”
BYD’s investment in Turkey:In response to a journalist’s question about the agreement signed between the Chinese BYD company and the Ministry of Industry and Technology regarding investment in Turkey, Minister Bolat said, “Today, a large Chinese electric car manufacturer signed an agreement to make direct foreign investment in Turkey. Therefore, we welcome this development regarding the production of electric vehicles in Turkey. We also hope that more direct foreign investment will come to electric cars in our country.”
