Lord mayor of London: "Turkish-UK trade could double by 2015"

Turkey welcomed on Wednesday a high-level delegation of entrepreneurs from the United Kingdom led by the Right Honorable Lord Mayor of London Michael Bear, who at the same time acts as a global ambassador for all UK-based financial and professional service businesses. The lord mayor began his visit in the capital Ankara before proceeding to Istanbul, from where he will leave tomorrow. Shortly before starting the trip, Bear stated that "our two countries have traditionally enjoyed a close relationship with wide-ranging mutual interests and the UK is a long-standing supporter of Turkish accession to the European Union." He referred in particular to the Strategic Partnership between both countries, saying: "When signing up to the strategic partnership between the two countries last year, the British prime minister, David Cameron, outlined a commitment to doubling the value of bilateral trade from $9 billion to $18 billion by 2015. I hope my visit can move us closer to achieving this shared ambition."