Turkey’s ambassador to Algeria, Mehmet Mujahit Koçek Yilmaz, said that the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to $5.3 billion last year, stressing the intention to raise it to $10 billion. Yilmaz stressed the depth and history of the relationship between the two countries, and that the visit of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan To Algeria and meet his Algerian counterpart Abdel Majeed Tebboune Scheduled for today, Tuesday, it confirms the distinction and strength of the relationship.
He recalled that the relationship between the two countries developed after Algeria’s independence, and began to achieve rising trade figures, heading for further growth due to strengthening diplomatic relations and signing joint agreements, noting that Turkish investments in Algeria currently exceed 6 billion dollars.
While the volume of trade between Turkey and Algeria reached $5.3 billion in 2022, Koçek Yilmaz expected it to exceed $6 billion in 2023.
He said, “We are working with Algeria to reach a bilateral trade volume of $10 billion as soon as possible, which is the goal set by the presidents of the two countries, Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Algerian, Abdelmadjid Tebboune.”
Yilmaz – who began his duties as ambassador to Algeria at the beginning of last September – pointed to many steps that need to be taken, the most important of which is the implementation of the agreement to stimulate mutual investment between the two countries.
He added that it is expected that the agreement between the Algerian National Oil and Gas Company (Sonatrach) and the Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Company (Botash) will be renewed.
Botash is a Turkish public company specialized in supplying the Turkish market with gas, as Sonatrach has been supplying it with natural gas since 1988 through the port of Marmara. The current contract between the two companies stipulates raising the volume of Algerian gas exports to Turkey to about 5.4 billion cubic meters annually, instead of the previously agreed upon 4.4 billion cubic meters.
The Turkish ambassador explained that there are more than 10 economic and cultural agreements, including the opening of a branch of the Turkish Agriculture Bank, a school for the Al-Maaref Endowment Foundation, and a Turkish cultural center.
Gateway to Africa
Koçek Yilmaz pointed out that Algeria is for Turkey a great gateway to Africa, and that Turkey is for Algeria a gateway to Central Asia and East Asia.
He said, “When I look at Algeria, I see a country that has almost everything in the world. In other words, Algeria is a country rich in mineral resources, natural gas, and oil.” It is a country capable of producing all kinds of vegetables, fruits, and foodstuffs. It also has a vast desert and countless resources. The world’s largest underground aquifer under the Sahara.
He concluded his speech by saying that Turkish entrepreneurs are interested in investing in Algeria, achieving important profits in cooperation with Algerians, as well as cooperating for joint export to other countries.
