Türkiye and Spain on Thursday hailed shut relations topped with sturdy development in financial cooperation and commerce and confused potential and ambitions to additional improve their partnership.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described Spain as “a friend and NATO ally” after arriving in Madrid for an intergovernmental summit that he’ll co-chair with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
The summit will primarily concentrate on the economic system, commerce and funding, Erdoğan instructed the Türkiye-Spain Business Forum on Thursday.
Addressing the identical occasion, Sanchez known as Türkiye a “key economic partner” for Spain and an “important player in its region.”
“Spain and Türkiye are two countries with the most magnificent relations in every field,” he stated.
Erdoğan stated the “immense” potential and dynamism that commerce and funding relations between the 2 international locations maintain “give us the courage to pursue more ambitious goals.”
The commerce quantity between Türkiye and Spain elevated tenfold to $19.2 billion (TL 620.12 billion) in 2023, in comparison with simply round $2 billion earlier than 2002.
“This brings us close to our $20 billion target. I am confident that we can take this volume much further together,” he famous.
Erdoğan stated Spain is the sixth largest investor in Türkiye, with 740 firms and roughly $11 billion in inventory. He prolonged an invite and stated Türkiye wish to see many extra traders from Spain.
In the development sector, Turkish companies have undertaken six initiatives value round $1.1 billion in Spain, together with the stadium mission of Barcelona, which Erdoğan described as “a concrete example of our cooperation in this field.”
“Our companies, which are recognized worldwide for their projects, will provide even greater contributions if given the chance,” he asserted.
Spain’s belief in Türkiye
Sanches stated Spanish firms admire the bettering outlook of the Turkish economic system, the daring measures taken and the robustness of the federal government’s medium-term financial program.
“We have always had confidence in Türkiye. We have very solid foundations for this. While some were withdrawing from Türkiye, we doubled our investments. We maintained this confidence,” stated the prime minister.
“Türkiye will continue to increase its economic weight and importance in the coming decades. Türkiye and Spain are friendly countries with mutual trust and special relationships.”
Erdoğan famous that current international challenges, such because the COVID-19 pandemic and regional conflicts, have exacerbated difficulties in international commerce.
He expressed a powerful want to additional improve financial and industrial relations with Spain primarily based on a win-win precept.
“In a world fraught with various risks, we aim to develop our economic and trade relations even further,” he stated.
Erdoğan highlighted Türkiye’s strategic geographic benefit, noting that “with a few hours’ flight from Istanbul, we can reach 1.3 billion people and significant portions of the global economy.”
He advocated for reimagining commerce and funding partnerships with a daring and progressive perspective, which might unlock new alternatives.
“Reconstructing our trade and investment collaborations with a bold and innovative approach will open new windows of opportunity,” he stated. He seen the sectoral periods beneath the business discussion board, protecting areas from transportation and infrastructure to power, trade, and finance, as a stable basis for increasing collaboration.
EU entrance
Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye’s aspiration for full EU membership however lamented that Ankara’s honest steps are sometimes thwarted by some members.
“Despite our sincere efforts, some EU members, who only consider their own interests, fail to recognize the added value Türkiye would bring to the union,” he stated.
He expressed issues over the influence of the current European Parliament elections and the rise of far-right politics in Europe.
“The results of the European Parliament elections and the rise of far-right politics across Europe undoubtedly fuel this mindset,” he stated.
Erdoğan confused the failure to replace the customs union and strict visa functions imposed on Turkish businesspeople “prevent the full realization of our economic and trade potential.”
Antonio Garamendi, the top of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE), stated there have been many shared values between Spain and Türkiye.
Highlighting Türkiye’s strategic significance and Spain’s distinguished position as an EU member and its connections with Latin America, Garamendi stated, “Our commitment is to bring Türkiye closer to the Latin American market.”
“We have many shared values and opportunities in areas like digitalization and green energy,” stated the CEOE chair, including: “Trust will be key for us. Therefore, the close relations between the governments of Türkiye and Spain are of vital importance.”
Carlos Torres Vila, the chairperson of BBVA, stated the banking large has “great confidence in Türkiye.”
“Türkiye is a leader in the region and globally. It also holds a significant position in Europe. This makes it very attractive for foreign investors,” he famous.
Villa additionally referred to the steps the Turkish authorities have taken and that these are beginning to cut back inflation and threat premiums. “We congratulate the Turkish government for this.”
Nail Olpak, head of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), acknowledged that they foresee increasing the prevailing sectoral cooperation to new areas, notably inexperienced and digital transformation.
Olpak emphasised, “The modernization of the EU-Türkiye Customs Union agreement is extremely important for us, and we expect support.”
Ebru Özdemir, chair of the DEIK Türkiye-Spain Business Council, conveyed the purpose to create a “lasting impact in bilateral economic relations, to carry this to third countries, and to make it sustainable.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com