Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec.22 / Trend A. Akhundov /
Turkey and Azerbaijan are trying to efficiently use the available opportunities for cooperation and have the conditions for Azerbaijan to become the biggest investor in Turkey's economy, Hasan Ali Celik, the head of the Turkish Parliamentary Committee on Industry, Trade, Energy, Natural Resources and Information Technology, MP from the ruling Justice and Development Party, said.
According to the Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee, in January-October, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to nearly $750 million. In 2009, this figure exceeded 1 billion dollars, $107 million of which fell to exports from Azerbaijan.
"Turkey is located between the countries-suppliers of energy resources and huge consumer markets of Europe. This fact, as well as economic development and political stability make it a very favorable country for investment, both in the energy sector and in other spheres. The prospect that in the next 10 years, Azerbaijan will become the biggest investor in Turkey is very real and there are all conditions for this, "Celik said.
Socar & Turcas Executive Director and board member of a large petrochemical complex Petkim Kenan Yavuz believes that in the next 10 years, Azerbaijan will become the biggest investor in Turkey. As Yavuz said earlier, by 2015 joint investments of Socar & Turcas and Petkım will hit 5 billion dollars, and Petkim will be the biggest industrial producer of Turkey in 2020.
According to MP Celik, Turkey would like to see the Azerbaijani investors also in the non-oil sector.
"Engineering industry, in particular the car sector, as well as textile and food industries, rapidly develop in Turkey. We would like to see the Azerbaijani investors in different directions in these sectors," Celik said.
According to him, the summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), which is underway on Dec. 21-23 in Istanbul, will further strengthen the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey, and the region as a whole.
"I am sure that both sides will take advantage of opportunities that will be provided by these meetings," Celik said.
ECO was founded in 1985 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey. Today the organization also includes Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
On Dec.23 Istanbul will host the 11th Summit of Heads of States and Governments of the ECO. Before the meeting a meeting of senior officials at the high level, as well as a meeting of the Council of Ministers of ECO member states passes in Istanbul on Dec.21-23.