New Delhi – (IINA) February 09 – Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, who is on an official visit to India, said yesterday that Turkey and India can cooperate in nuclear energy because Turkey is interested in nuclear energy projects to meet its energy demand. “Turkey is close to oil and gas beds thanks to its unique location, and therefore it has an increasing role in world energy diplomacy,” Babacan told members of the Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry here. Babacan’s visit was historic as the first official visit to India in 30 years by a Foreign Minister of Turkey. Babacan said Turkey is a very good destination for foreign investments. “The Indian companies which want to make business in Turkey will not be subject to any quotas or customs tariffs thanks to the Customs Union,” he told.
Later, attending a function in the southern Indian IT hub of Hyderabad, Babacan said that Turkey is keen on opening negotiations with India with a view to signing a free trade agreement between the two countries.
At a luncheon session on ‘Turkey – India, Rich past, Bright future’, Babacan said the two nations shared much in history and culture and that contact between people was active since ancient times. Trade volume in the 17th largest economy in the world had gone up three-fold in the last four years, Babacan said.