TUZMEN SEEKS ISRAEL’S SUPPORT AGAINST ‘GENOCIDE’ RESOLUTION
Oznur Cevik
The New Anatolian, Turkey
March 7 2007
Turkish State Minister responsible for Foreign Trade Kursad Tuzmen
yesterday sought the support of Israeli businessmen against an Armenian
"genocide" resolution now facing the U.S. House of representatives.
In a speech at a seminar on "Turkish-Israeli Economic and Commercial
Cooperation", Tuzman said that the peoples of Turkey and Israel have
lived together in harmony and friendship.
"We now expect your support for Turkey on the Armenian matter,"
he added.
Tuzmen stressed that relations between Turkey and Israel do not merely
stem from historical roots.
"Turkey is the country that receives the second-highest number of
Israeli tourists. Only the U.S. receives more Israeli tourists than
Turkey," said Tuzmen.
Tuzmen underlined that with the realization of an energy pipeline
between the Black Sea and Red Sea, the region will become more
prominent globally.
Turkish diplomatic sources told The New Anatolian yesterday that
Israel is planning to construct a high technology park in Erzurum.
Israel and Turkey did $2.1 billion worth of trade last year, with
Israel exporting $838 million worth of products. Israeli companies
mainly exported chemicals and electronic equipment, consisting mostly
of cell phone accessories. The communications market in Turkey,
however, is vast, worth approximately $12 billion, and is expected
to grow over the coming years.
Turkey exported $1.27 billion worth of products to Israel last year
and is similarly looking to expand its presence in the Israeli
market. Chief among Turkish exports to Israel were textiles and
building materials and supplies.
Israel’s minister of industry, trade and labor and Tuzmen will sign
an agreement by which products shipped between the two countries will
be standardized as well as expedite the shipping process.
With the agreement, proceeds from imports and exports are expected
to rise, and time taken in process of shipment will be reduced.