2nd Ministerial meeting of Turkish-American economic and commercial strategic cooperation frameworl hrld in Ankara

The 2nd ministerial meeting of the Turkish-American Economic and Commercial Strategic Cooperation Framework was convened yesterday in Ankara with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank and US Trade Representative to the American-Turkish Council Ron Kirk. During the meeting, such issues as energy, aviation, cooperation opportunities in defense and transportation sectors, removal of visa requirements, cooperation among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), investment incentives and opportunities which are offered to Turkish people living in the US were discussed. Speaking in a joint press conference after the meeting, Babacan said goal of the cooperation frame was to raise relations in economy and commerce to their highest level and handling that goal as a strategic issue. In reply to a reporter's question, Babacan said there was work going on to lift visa requirements but the process would need more time and approval by the U.S. Congress. Also speaking at the press conference, Kirk said Turkey and the US had a strong and historical friendship, adding that the future of the relations were promising.