ANKARA, April 12 (KUNA) -- German Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Technology Philipp Rosler on Friday stated desire of his country to help Turkey in its efforts to upgrade its capacities in the field of renewable energy and build nuclear power stations.
There are favorable conditions for contributing to the Turkish efforts in the field of peaceful nuclear technology but the matter requires legal measures from the Turkish side, Rosler said.
He made the comments in an address to the opening session of the Turkish-German Energy Forum here.
Though Germany decided to phase out her nuclear power plants as of 2012, Berlin can contribute to Turkey's bid for building such plants given her long experience in this field, he pointed out.
Cooperation in the field of renewable energy is one of the most promising fields of cooperation between the two countries, Rosler noted, affirming desire to build a strategic partnership with Turkey covering all fields of cooperation.
Commenting on the planned Transatlantic Free Trade Area (TAFTA), he said he listened to Turkey's concerns over the possible impacts of the agreement on Turkey's trade relations with the European Union and the United States.
Turkey and the EU are tied to a customs union agreement, so it is normal for the TAFTA, when signed, to impact negatively on Turkey trade with the EU and US, Rosler added.
On is part, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yildiz said renewable energy represented 25 percent of the energy consumption of Turkey.
Turkey seeks to nudge this percentage to 30 in the coming decade, he added, noting that investments in this field doubled in value in the recent years thanks to the contributions of the private sector.
Yildiz, who co-chairs the Forum with Rosler, voiced hope that the gathering will lead to tangible mutually-beneficial results. (end) mm.gb KUNA 122141 Apr 13NNNN