MADRID: The relationship between Turkey and Spain will be brought to a new level, while trade and investments will also be increased, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said yesterday.
Yıldırım’s remarks came at the Nueva Economia Forum held in Madrid, Spain, where he arrived Tuesday on an official visit.The relationship between Turkey and Spain is increasing every year, the prime minister said, indicating that trade between the two countries has reached $13 billion last year.
The two countries’ trade is based on the win-win principle, Yıldırım said.
“Spanish investors have trust in Turkey. They continue to make investments in the country. There are firms making serious investments in many areas such as banking, infrastructure, information, engineering and consultancy. More than 600 companies have invested around $10 billion. This figure was $3.5 billion 15 years ago,” the prime minister said.
Yıldırım also mentioned that Turkey grew 7.4 percent last year, ranking first among the G20 members, adding that it was thanks to the strong government and continuous stability.
Speaking at the forum’s opening ceremony, Spanish Tourism Minister Alvaro Nadal said: “Turkey is a gate into Asia and the Middle East for Spaniards, while Spain is also used as a gate into Latin America for Turks.”
Nadal said Turkey and Spain are two important European countries. “Both countries have achieved great economic growth. Indeed, both countries have great touristic potentials.”