UPDATES WITH SIGNING OF AGREEMENT
By Tuba Ongun and Gokhan Ergocun
ANKARA/ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye has a strong interest in working with Finland on contracting and technology projects besides carrying out joint projects in other countries, the Turkish trade minister said on Wednesday.
Omer Bolat and his Finnish counterpart Ville Tavio met in the Finnish capital Helsinki for the 2nd Term Meeting of the Türkiye-Finland Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), which focused on boosting bilateral trade and investments.
"Türkiye is are keen to collaborate with Finland in the fields of contracting and technology, as well as to work together on contracting and infrastructure projects in third countries," Bolat said on X.
He underlined the importance of updating the Customs Union to enhance cooperation with EU member states and diversify global economic partnerships.
"We attach great importance to diversifying our cooperation with the European Union and its member states, which are among our most significant trade partners. In this context, we believe that updating the Customs Union will make a valuable contribution to our global partnerships," Bolat said.
Turkish officials have long pressed for an update to the 1995 Customs Union with the EU, arguing that revising the agreement would benefit both sides.
Bolat added that the discussions resulted in a mutual understanding to boost reciprocal investments and expand bilateral trade in a balanced way.
- Reinsurance cooperation agreement
As part of the JETCO meeting, the Turk Eximbank and Finnish state-owned financing firm Finnvera signed a reinsurance cooperation agreement on Wednesday, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat said on X.
“Our companies will take our economic and commercial partnership one step further, will have the opportunity to benefit from more financing tools, and will be able to access financing more easily for our potential projects in third countries,” Bolat said.