External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj holds talk with Turkish counterpart

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu held talks on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues on Friday. They spoke in favour of stepping up the two-way engagement in diverse areas. Both the leaders reviewed the bilateral relationship and felt the ties need to be enhanced further.

Swaraj had earlier been invited by the Turkish Foreign Minister to address the Seventh Turkish Ambassadors Conference but was unable to go because of the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas earlier this month.

India and Turkey have deep historical connections. The economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries has deepened over the years and constitutes an important dimension of the bilateral relationship. Several bilateral agreements and institutional mechanisms, at the governmental as well as business-to-business levels provide the framework for strengthening economic and commercial ties.

More than 150 companies with Indian capital have registered businesses in Turkey in the form of joint ventures, trade and representative offices. These include Polyplex, GMR Infrastructure, TATA Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Reliance, Ispat, Aditya Birla Group, Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd, Jain Irrigation, Wipro and Dabur.