Turkey, croatia push for stronger business ties

Turkey and Croatia made a joint decision to increase business and trade relations during the Turkish-Croatian Business Council, held in Istanbul yesterday. The council, active since 1995, works to maintain long-term cooperation between the two countries. Cagatay Ozdogru, chief of the Turkish council, said Croatia is "a strategic partner in its region" for Turkey. Bilateral cooperation should focus especially on industry, construction and tourism, according to Zlatan Frohlich, chairman of the Croatia-Turkey Business Council. Frohlich said that the popularity of Turkish TV series in Croatia may help fuel tourism. Trade between the two countries fell from $434 million in 2008 to $330 million in 2009, amid the world economic crisis. Speaking at the conference, Turkish Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin said both sides hope to boost this figure to $1 billion by 2013.