Ukraine, Turkey to hold next round of FTA talks in January

"These talks [on signing FTA between Ukraine and Turkey], perhaps, are one of the most difficult but this does not mean that we should change our tactics or freeze the negotiations. Just the contrary. I and Tymofiy [Mylovanov, Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine] met very quickly with the Ambassador of Turkey to Ukraine and agreed to intensify the work... We immediately sent a letter about the interest in holding the next round of negotiations [on FTA] and received a response that we would conduct a round of negotiations in January," Deputy Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Minister, Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka said at the conference "Trade Wars: The Art of Defense", an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Turkey, he emphasized, is a very important economic partner of Ukraine, but at the same time, there are many sensitive issues regarding the competition among the manufacturers of both countries and on the markets of third countries.

"I think that we will discuss all problematic issues until we find a common language," the Trade Representative of Ukraine said.

Commenting on Turkey's approaches to setting quotas for Ukrainian goods, Kachka noted that the point was not the methodology but the general approach to opening markets.

"The methodology spelled out in the Association Agreement with the EU is outdated, and it is recognized even in Brussels. Therefore, we and Turkey will seek a bilateral approach that is beneficial for both parties," Kachka summarized.

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