PM visits Spain with high attention to economic ties

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

This file photo shows Prime Minister Erdoğan waving hand before his travel for the Azeri capital. Eight minister accompany Erdoğan in his Spain visit. AA photo

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan led a governmental delegation to Spain yesterday for intergovernmental meetings, but the trip will primarily focus on increasing bilateral investment at a time when such trade figures have been falling. Turkish exports to Spain declined 13.25 percent to 1.56 billion euros in the first six months of the year, while imports also fell 2 percent to about 2.3 billion euros, according to data from the Spanish Commerce and Competition Ministry.

As such, Erdoğan and eight ministers will visit Spain to present investment opportunities in Turkey to the crisis-battered Spanish government.

A Turkish governmental mission headed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan went to Spain yesterday to discuss and increase mutual investments, as well as a political agenda, at a time when the bilateral trade figures are sharply declining.

The fourth intergovernmental high-level cooperation meeting between Turkey and Spain is set to be held in Madrid today, at which Erdoğan and eight accompanying ministers will focus on investment opportunities in Turkey for Spanish companies.

Turkish exports to Spain declined 13.25 percent to 1.56 billion euros in the first six months of the year, while imports also fell 2 percent to about 2.3 billion euros, according to official Spanish data.

The first of the cooperation meetings was held in 2009. This year’s meeting will bring together Erdoğan and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy at a high-level cooperation meeting for the first time. The talks with the Spanish ministers today will be like a double-sided cabinet, Erdoğan said yesterday before he left Ankara for Spain. There will be talks with Spanish CEOs and chairmen within the scope of the misision, he said. The delegations will discuss the results of decisions taken in former meetings, and the Turkish delegation will present investment opportunities in Turkey to the Spanish government.

The difficulties of Turkish firms with investments in Spain and the obstacles faced by Turkish exporters will be also discussed. In advance of the meeting, the Turkish delegation had requested the opinions of exporter companies, particularly members of the Chamber of Shipping.

Turkish football players Mesut Özil, Emre Belözoğlu and Arda Turan are expected to pay a visit to Erdoğan during his stay in Spain.