An agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of Turkey on the establishment of a system for the electronic exchange of preliminary information on goods and vehicles moving between the parties was signed in Istanbul on Friday as part of a meeting between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“According to the document, information exchange will be carried out between the State Customs Service of Ukraine and the Ministry of Trade of Turkey. Based on the agreement, a system of electronic exchange of preliminary information will be created, through which a predetermined set of data will be exchanged in electronic form,” the press service of the President of Ukraine reports.
It is noted that the information received by the customs authorities of the parties will help speed up the movement of goods and vehicles across the borders of both states, as well as counteract customs offenses.
On behalf of Ukraine, the agreement was signed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and on behalf of Turkey – by Trade Minister Omer Bolat.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development has agreed with Turkey’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to extend the liberalization of freight transport, the ministry’s press service said on Thursday. According to the ministry, the “transport visa-free zone” or liberalization of freight transport with Turkey, includes bilateral freight traffic and transit traffic, the ministry said.
“Of all the exports we deliver to Turkey, about 15% are by road transport. Turkish companies import to us exactly by road transport almost 60% of the total volume of goods,” said Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction – Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure Alexander Kubrakov.
As a result of the agreement, the parties no longer need permits for cargo and transit transportation. At the same time, permit-free passage is also valid for the entry of empty trucks.
In addition, the Ministry of Transport agreed with the Turkish side to increase the number of permits for cargo transportation to/from third countries and bus transportation to 3,500 permits and 400 permits, respectively.
“We are working on the possibilities of performing irregular bus transportation – we have agreed on 400 permits for such trips. In the near future, part of these permits will be delivered to Ukraine for issuance to carriers,” – emphasized Deputy Minister of development of communities, territories and infrastructure Sergiy Derkach.
As reported, liberalization of freight transport is available with 35 countries, including the European Union. Last year, the team of the Ministry of Recovery managed to agree on the possibility with Norway, North Macedonia and extend the relevant agreement with Moldova.
The Forum for the Reconstruction of Ukraine is taking place in Istanbul. It began with a meeting between Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu and Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov.
“We held fruitful meetings with Omer Bolat and Abdulkadir Uraloglu, who organized the Ukraine Reconstruction Forum, an initiative that promotes cooperation in the recovery and development of the affected regions. This demonstrates a strong commitment,” Kubrakov wrote on social network X.
He noted that the forum will help increase the trade potential of the countries, expand logistics and foreign economic relations.
“We have a common goal: The Black Sea should become a zone of cooperation, trade and economic growth. It is important to attract private investment in infrastructure rehabilitation. This year, projects aimed at restoring energy, housing, critical and social infrastructure are prioritized,” Kubrakov said.
The Turkish Minister of Trade, for his part, emphasized that the experience gained from successful projects implemented by Turkish contractors in different regions of the world to date will become a cornerstone of cooperation between the two countries, especially in the reconstruction of Ukraine.
“In addition, together with Kubrakov, we have made important assessments of increasing the volume of mutual trade and strengthening economic relations between the two countries,” he wrote in X.
Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria will sign a joint agreement in January 2024 to counter the mine threat in the Black Sea, Turkish National Defense Minister Yashar Güler said, TRTHaber reported on Saturday, December 16.
“Within the framework of the Trilateral Initiative, launched under the leadership of our country against the mine threat in the Black Sea, on November 22-23, we held the third round of the meeting of the Task Force on Mine Action in the Black Sea, hosted by our ministry. We are also planning to hold a signing ceremony in Istanbul on January 11, 2024, with the participation of the defense ministers of the three countries,” said Yasar Güler.
The minister emphasized that Turkey responsibly and impartially implements the Montreux Straits Convention, which ensures balance in the Black Sea, and is determined to continue to do so.
Ukraine and Turkey will ratify the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in the near future, and after the ratification procedure is completed, the document will enter into force in early 2024, the Economy Ministry said on Wednesday following a meeting between First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and the new Turkish Ambassador Mustafa Levent Bilgen the day before.
“The free trade agreement will also simplify logistics issues, promote the development of Ukrainian business in wartime, and open new prospects in Ukraine for our partners from Turkey,” Svyrydenko was quoted as saying in a press release.
She added that a working group on grain will be set up to discuss global and bilateral trade in this market.
“Ukraine highly appreciates Turkey’s participation in protecting the grain export initiative, which is an important factor in ensuring global food security,” the First Deputy Prime Minister said.
It is noted that the parties are also ready for a constructive dialogue on expanding economic cooperation, in particular, the creation of joint projects in priority sectors of the economy. Strategically important sectors for restoring and attracting private investment are defense, agricultural production and processing, renewable energy, gas production and storage, green metallurgy, environmentally friendly transport, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals.
Svyrydenko added that Ukrainian entrepreneurs are ready to establish joint business with international partners, so the government is using every opportunity to attract additional resources, including for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.
“Humanitarian demining is another important area. We need heavy demining vehicles, training for sappers, everything that will help us clear our land as soon as possible. We are open for cooperation and encourage international business to enter Ukraine,” the First Deputy Prime Minister said.
As reported, following 12 rounds of negotiations and a series of expert consultations in 2011-2022, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Turkish Trade Minister Mehmet Mush signed an FTA between the two countries in Kyiv on February 3, 2022. The document will enter into force after ratification by the parliaments of both countries and the exchange of instruments of ratification.
Inflation in Turkey accelerated for the second consecutive month in August and reached an eight-month high due to tax hikes, a weaker lira and rising food prices.
Consumer prices increased by 58.9% year-on-year, compared to a 47.8% rise in July, according to the country’s statistical institute (Turkstat).
Analysts surveyed by Trading Economics had predicted a more moderate acceleration of inflation, to 55.9%.
Food prices jumped 72.9%, the highest rise in eight months. In July, they rose by 60.7%.
Utilities went up by 25% last month (19.3% in July), transportation by 70.2% (43.4%), and medical services by 77.6% (75.9%). The growth in the cost of furniture and household appliances accelerated to 58.9% from 50.1%.
Core inflation, which excludes the cost of food, energy, tobacco products and gold, was 64.9% in August, compared to 56.1% a month earlier, Turkstat reports.
Meanwhile, monthly consumer price growth slowed to 9.1% in August from 9.5% in July. The July figure was the highest since December 2021.
The Central Bank of Turkey expects inflation to be 58% in 2023, 33% in 2024, and 15% in 2025.
The Turkish national currency is trading at around 26.77 lira per $1 on Monday, compared to 26.73 lira at the close of the previous session. The Turkish stock index BIST 100 has risen by 1% since the market opened.
Earlier, the Club of Experts project analyzed the state of the Turkish economy before the elections, see more here
