Ankara-Kiev ties in focus as President Poroshenko meets Turkish FM

By Azernews

By Kamila Aliyeva

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had a meeting with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on February 10 in Kiev, where the sides mulled the bilateral relations.

Poroshenko and Cavusoglu discussed the agenda of the next session of the High Level Strategic Council between Ukraine and Turkey planned to be held under the chairmanship of the two heads of state in spring 2017, the official website of the President of Ukraine reported.

The parties noted high dynamics of bilateral interaction in the context of the implementation of the agreements achieved. They also stressed that it was a solid basis for the further development of strategic partnership.

Both emphasized the importance of prompt completion of negotiations on the FTA Agreement between Ukraine and Turkey.

Cavusoglu further assured that Turkey would further retain unwavering position in support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, including the non-recognition of the illegal occupation of Crimea.

Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Ukraine were established following the signing of a protocol in February 1992. 

The first meeting of the HLSC was held in Turkey in December 2011. Then, the two countries signed an Agreement on the Mutual Abolition of Visas intending to further improve interpersonal relations, business ties and strengthen tourism sectors, which came into force from August 2012. 

The latest meeting of the HLSC was held in 2016, where the two sides set a target to raise the trade volume between the two countries to $20 billion by 2023. The decision to enhance the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Turkey in the sphere of security and defense was the key achievement of the fifth session of the HLSC between Ukraine and Turkey.

Turkey is one of the most important trade partners of Ukraine, while the country ranked the 5th among Ukraine’s trade partners in the first half of 2016.

The major items of export from Turkey to Ukraine are citric fruits, petrochemical products, motor vehicles, plastics and plastic items, electrical technical equipment and electric appliances. The major items of imports are iron, products of plain steel, hot-rolled iron and steel products, aluminum and wheat. 

Over the past years, Turkish investment in Ukraine increased especially in the telecommunications sector, while the country is also an important market for Turkish construction companies. The total value of construction investments completed by Turkey in Ukraine exceeds $5 billion.

The trade turnover between Ukraine and Turkey exceeded $2 billion since early 2016, including $1.4 billion worth of exports and $667 million worth of imports, according to the official statistics.

For the year 2015, the trade turnover between Ukraine and Turkey decreased by 25.4% and amounted to $ 3.624 billion in comparison with the same period of 2014.