Ghana, Turkey Agree To Boost Cooperation

Ghana and Turkey agreed on Wednesday to enhance bilateral agreements in all fields.



"We have had a longstanding negotiation with Turkey desirous of concluding a free trade agreement, a bilateral investment treaty and an agreement on double taxation for the mutual benefit of our two countries," Ghana's Minister of Trade and Industry Haruna Iddrisu said at the signing ceremony of the fourth session of the Ghana-Turkey Joint Trade and Economic Committee.



"We remain very determined as a country in West Africa to attract the needed foreign direct investment from across the globe, but in particular from Turkey," he added.



Iddrisu and Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu signed the minutes of the three-day meetings, which brought together senior officials from both countries.



They agreed to boost cooperation in the areas of customs; industry; science and technology; corporation and standardization; energy and mining; agriculture; health; education; environment; forestry; youth and sports; and general technical cooperation.



Iddrisu said that the conclusion of negotiations between the technical committees of both countries "marks a new beginning in Ghana-Turkey relations."



"It signals a turning point; we remain deeply committed to increasing our trade volumes to $1 billion within the next two years," the minister added.



Minister Muezzinoglu, for his part, expressed satisfaction with the talks' outcome.



"I consider this meeting… a chance to put a new brick in the wall of our bilateral relations, which we have constructed with great sacrifices and effort," he said.



Muezzinoglu, currently on his first-ever mission to Ghana, boasted of "a significant increase in past years in our bilateral trade relations."



"However, our aim is $1 billion in our [bilateral] trade volumes."



The Turkish minister recalled that in 2002 bilateral trade volume stood at $61.8 million.



"In 2012, we observed a level of $527 million, which is a record level," he said, noting that the number had fallen to $381 million the following year.



"Now our goal is to see a figure that will exceed the successful level we attained in 2012," said the Turkish minister.



He said both parties had agreed to expedite the processes relating to the maritime agreement.



Muezzinoglu also indicated that the security cooperation agreement had already reached the signing stage.



"We are going to append our signature today," he said.



The two sides have agreed that the next meeting of the Ghana-Turkey Business Council would be held in Istanbul in June 2014.



Minister Iddrisu has promised to lead the Ghanaian delegation to the meeting in hopes of finalizing a bilateral investment treaty.



In a gesture of welcome, the minister presented the Turkish delegation with a traditional Ghanaian stool.



The Turkish delegation in turn presented their Ghanaian counterparts with two sets of traditional Turkish coffee cups and tray meant to symbolize 80 years of friendship between the two countries.



By Umaru Sanda Amadu



englishnews@aa.com.tr - Greater Accra