Yemen Observer - The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his visit to Yemen last week had succeeded in boosting trade relations between the countries.

In a joint press conference on Wednesday, Yemen�s Prime Minister Abdul-Qader Bajammal and his Turkish counterpart said three agreements had been signed.
Deals were struck on taxation, oil, gas and environmental protection, while a memorandum of understanding was also signed to establish a joint council for Yemeni-Turkish businessmen.

Erdogan said his visit had allowed him to evaluate the economic and political relations between the two countries. �We feel that there is real desire from Yemen to develop relations in many different areas,� he said. He added that plans had also been made to sign an agreement on civil aviation at a meeting of the Yemeni-Turkish joint committee in Ankara next February.
Erdogan described his talks with President Ali Abdullah Saleh as fruitful, and said he had been encouraged by Saleh�s ambitions to increase economic, political, commercial and cultural links with Turkey.

The leaders discussed partnerships on joint investments in both air and sea transportation, and tourism and industry - especially in the Aden Free Zone.
Saleh said he welcomed the Turkish investments in Yemen which he hoped would encourage broader cooperation in trade exchange. Bajammal, speaking at Sana�a International Airport before Erdogan left Yemen, said the talks had covered issues of common concern to the countries, including the situation in Iraq and Palestine.

�The talks also emphasized the importance of supporting Islamic work through the Organization of Islamic Conference and gathering efforts to fight terrorism,� Bajammal said.
The anti-double taxation agreement between the two countries would help smooth business procedures, he added. Both countries stressed the importance of stronger bilateral business, trade ties and joint investments.

�Trade exchange increased by 25% in 2004,� Erdogan said, adding that he hoped to develop trade links further in the future.

Erdogan invited Turkish companies to invest in tourism in the 130 islands on the Red Sea and Arabian Sea.

Last September, the Yemeni-Turkish Joint Committee held its third session in Ankara.

The foundation of the committee was in accordance with a trade agreement singed between the two countries in 1991. The session resulted in signing several agreements such as agreement of avoidance of double taxation and agreement of maritime and transportation cooperation.
The committee also discussed future cooperation in field of small and medium enterprises.

Yemen, Turkey and Italy are government cosponsors of the Democracy Assistance Dialogue of the G-8 forum for the future allows three countries to achieve the necessary coordination for approaching Middle East issues for a common standpoint.

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Yemen Observer Newspaper