Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan and Minister of Economy Zafer Caglayan on Turkish side and United States Trade Representative Ambasador Ron Kirk and Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank on US side co-chaired Turkey-U.S. Framework for Strategic Economic and Commercial Cooperation (FSECC) 2nd Ministerial assembling in Ankara on 26th of June, 2012. Under the leadership of coordinator Ministers, ongoing condition of trade and investment relations between 2 countries, new chances for market accession, ease of trade, expectations and propositions of private sphere, cooperation chances under energy, finance, infrastructure, defense headlines were appraised within the agendum of FSECC 2nd Ministerial Meeting. The next joint affirmation was declared after the Meeting by the Turkish and American Ministers.
FSECC JOINT STATEMENT
We assembled today in the 2nd session of the Framework for Strategic Economic and Commercial Cooperation (“the Framework”) to carry on the process of high-ranking consultation on economical and commercial issues that we commenced with our 1st meeting in October 2010. Our discourse was concentrated on executing the commitment that President Obama and President Gul which were made in April of 2009 to elevate our bilateral trade and investment relations.
We note with satisfaction that Turkey has carried on a dynamic path toward economical successfulness. This strong development allows for a foundation for a completely new charge of commercial cooperation between our businesses, and an chance for our governments to cooperate more closely in the economical sphere, both bilaterally and in the region. The Turkish and American private sectors have pointed their growing concern in the possibilities that could come out from closer U.S.-Turkish economic ties.
Events since our first meeting have only emphasised the significant stake both Turkey and the United States have in our bilateral economic partnership. The economic chances and ambitions aroused by the events of the “Arab Spring,” and the challenge of spurring global economic development, signify that our 2 countries must collaborate more closely than ever on trade and investment issues.
In our meeting today, we talked over many initiatives and propositions from the private sector on how to reinforce our economic relationship, including recommendations formed by the U.S.-Turkey Business Council. We talked over how to collaborate better on attempts to advance entrepreneurship and innovation, in addition to foreign direct investment in both countries. We foregrounded a number of potential new initiatives in key industry sectors. We also reexamined a number of challenges to further development in trade and investment, and the way of addressing them. At last, we shared out aspects on the potential for our governments, working collectively, to advance greater contact and cooperation between U.S. and Turkish businesses that want to explore the new promise of development in 3rd country markets, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, but also beyond, including in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, Latin America and Pacific region.
We were delighted today to have found common ground on several steps to raise our bilateral economic and commercial relationship, including:
Strengthening the FSECC’s work in between the yearly meetings at a ministerial level by building high level coordinators on each side;
Carrying out new techniques to help our Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMEs) to take part in foreign trade;
organization of a symposium with the involvement of big U.S. and Turkish companies from the construction and engineering sectors to advance cooperation on particular infrastructure chances in Turkey, the United States and third countries;
Deliverance of a Near Zero Zone technical training program on reducing energy use in Turkey’s 264 industrial zones, and a Smart Grid Workshop concentrated on ways to foster U.S. and Turkish private sector cooperation in building a smart grid in Turkey.
