Date : 07/01/2014
TOKYO, Jan 7 (KUNA) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Turkish
counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed Tuesday to launch free trade talks
within this year.
"We agreed to start inter-governmental negotiations on a bilateral economic
partnership agreement," Abe told a joint press conference after the summit
talks in Tokyo. It was their third summit meeting in nine months, following
the talks in Ankara last May and October.
"Relations between the two countries have developed rapidly over the past
year. I hope our bilateral partnership will further deepen in various fields
this year," Abe said.
The Japanese leader also said Tokyo will provide around JPY 43 billion (USD
412 million) in fresh yen loans to finance Turkey's subway system project
which will link the Asian and European sides of Istanbul under the Bosporus
Strait.
"We will make efforts toward an early conclusion of a Japan-Turkey economic
partnership agreement, which is expected to further strengthen bilateral
relations," Erdogan said in the same press conference.
The two leaders also confirmed their cooperation on nuclear technology and
pledged further efforts to accelerate domestic procedures for securing
parliamentary approval in both countries for a civil nuclear cooperation pact.
During Abe's visit to Turkey in October, the two governments reached the
agreement, which will pave the way for Japan to export nuclear reactors to
Turkey.
A joint venture involving Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. has won
an order to construct a nuclear plant in northern Turkey.
The two sides also signed an agreement to set up a science and technology
university in Istanbul to educate researchers in advanced technology,
including that for nuclear energy.
In Tuesday's talks, Abe and Erdogan also agreed to cooperate in addressing
the crisis in Syria and Iran's nuclear program. The Turkish premier arrived in
Japan on Monday for a three day-visit as part of his Asian tour that will also
take him to Singapore and Malaysia. (end)
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KUNA 072038 Jan 14NNNN