Aegean region: Ukraine offers specific projects to Turkish business

"We came to the Aegean region with specific proposals from Ukrainian business for the development of certain areas and projects with Turkish business. Our trade and economic relations with Turkey are a success story worth almost USD 5 billion and with steady annual growth. The prospects we have and develop, the interest of business on both sides, specific large-scale projects demonstrate in practice the success of "growing together" formula and the potential we have," Ambassador Sybiha said, an Ukrinform own correspondent reports.

At the meeting with the Governor of Muğla province and the heads of local business associations, the parties touched upon the successful import of fruits, including citrus fruits and pomegranates, from this province into Ukraine, as well as the prospects for exporting other products from Turkey into Ukraine, including olive oil and marble, increasing the number of Ukrainian tourists in this region, cooperating in other areas.

"You are the first ambassador I have met since becoming the governor and I am very glad. The number of Ukrainian tourists to our province is growing steadily, we have stable trade ties and good potential for further development in various fields. The heads of chambers of commerce and the head of the tourism department are present at this meeting, and we all express our commitment and readiness to strengthen cooperation," said Muğla Governor Orhan Tavlı.

At the meeting with the head of ANEX Tour, one of the largest Turkish tour operators ensuring 55% of Ukrainian tourist flow to Turkey, the peculiarities of the tourist season this year was discussed.

"It is important for me that this tour operator responded last year to a call to help rehabilitate a group of Ukrainian children whose parents died in the anti-terrorist operation [in eastern Ukraine]. And we have received assurances to help this year again... The first charter flights from Ukraine will arrive in Dalaman on July 4 and tickets have already been sold out. We can expect that this year's season in Turkey may be extended until the end of November," Andrii Sybiha said after the meeting.

The Ukrainian diplomat also visited the fish factory of Kiliç Holding, one of the largest suppliers of fresh fish from the Mediterranean in the world and to Ukraine in particular.

"Our company provides a full production cycle. In Ukraine, we successfully cooperate with Metro and fish suppliers to the restaurants," said Hakan Uyanık, the Kiliç CEO and member of the board of directors.

Andrii Sybiha invited business people of the region to take part in exhibition events in Ukraine and joint projects.

At a meeting with representatives of business circles in Marmaris, the implementation of existing projects and the possibility of creating associations of Ukrainian businesspeople in Turkey were touched upon.

In August last year, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky invited Turkish business to invest more actively in Ukraine. At the beginning of February this year, the Ukraine-Turkey business forum chaired by the presidents of Ukraine and Turkey took place in Kyiv, and more than 400 Turkish businesspeople took part in the event.

Photo credit: Olha Budnyk

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