7 May 2010 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, ANKARA
Turkey and Botswana on Thursday signed a commercial, economic and technical cooperation agreement in Ankara.Turkish State Minister Zafer Çağlayan and Botswanan Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Phandu Skelemani signed the agreement following a meeting.
“Africa’s share in Turkey’s foreign trade has risen to 10 percent thanks largely to the African Strategy, which has been in effect since 2003,” Çağlayan said during the signing ceremony. He added that Botswana was the strongest and most stable country in Africa, had the highest credit rating on the continent and that it is the largest diamond producer in the world. Diamonds constituted 70 percent of Botswana’s exports, though this fell to 60 percent during last year’s global economic crisis, the minister said. Çağlayan also noted that the two countries could under the new agreement cooperate in agriculture, agricultural irrigation, food, transportation and energy. “Our two countries can launch negotiations on a free trade agreement, an agreement to prevent double taxation and an agreement on investment and incentives from now on,” the minister said. Also speaking at the ceremony, Skelemani said he believes Botswana can learn a lot from Turkey and that his country wants to be a strategic partner of Turkey. The Botswanan minister added that his country is seeking to diversify its trade and did not want to limit itself to only one product.
