Ergün met with Saudi Minister for Commerce and Industry Abdullah Zainal Alireza -- who was in Turkey to attend the 2nd Turkey-World Trade Bridge, organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) -- yesterday in the northwestern province of Kocaeli. Ergün said his Saudi counterpart expressed the Saudi desire to benefit from Turkey’s advanced automotive industry. “We will discuss the issue further with our firms,” the minister said, citing the machine manufacturing industry and the mining sector as other areas that the two countries can cooperate in. There are also lucrative opportunities to take advantage of in agriculture, animal husbandry and tourism, he said, adding that relevant studies will be conducted by the two ministries and businessmen from the two countries will be brought together to encourage them to make joint investments.
Both ministers confirmed that there are good commercial relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Trade volume between the two countries was around $5 billion before the financial crisis, falling to $4 billion last year due to the turbulence in global financial markets. There are currently 180 Turkish firms operating in Saudi Arabia.
