The agreements were signed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his New Zealander counterpart, John Key, in Ankara on Thursday. Under one of the deals, the reciprocal working holiday scheme, up to 100 Turks will be able to spend 12 months living and working in New Zealand. An equal number of New Zealanders will have the same privileges in Turkey. The two prime ministers also signed an Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement. The agreement signed by the two leaders says Turkish and New Zealand officials will seek ways to establish stronger ties between business circles of the two countries and find investment opportunities.
The statement also says Key told Erdoğan that New Zealand would continue to make travel easier for Turkish citizens, especially for students, artists and businessmen.
The statement in addition mentioned that the two leaders expressed a commitment to United Nations and also made commitments to making progress on major global issues such as the fight against climate change, international disarmament and preventing the proliferation of nuclear and conventional weapons. Following talks in Ankara, Key, who was paying his first visit to Turkey, headed to the Gallipoli Peninsula where he will attend a number of commemoration services.
“The annual ANZAC [Australian and New Zealand Army Corps] commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula underpin a strong bond. We can use these historical ties to grow trade and investment between our two countries,” a statement from the New Zealand government quoted Key as saying in Ankara.
“Turkey can become a key gateway to Europe, the Caucasus and the Middle East for New Zealand businesses. It also has a significant and rapidly expanding market of its own. New Zealand can play a similar role for Turkish businesses seeking to benefit from the fast-growing Asia Pacific market,” he also said.
