US envoy Jeffrey: "Turkey and US can enjoy a three-fold boost in bilateral trade"

After taking time to understand the problems and develop a plan for trade relations, Turkey and the United Sates have come up with a framework proposal that includes the signing of several agreements, a US Ambassador to Ankara James Jeffrey said on Wednesday. Trade and investment agreements, as well as economic partnership agreements are in the pipeline, according to Jeffrey. Speaking at a lunch hosted by the Turkish–American Business Council (TAIK), Jeffrey said economic relations between Turkey and the US are relatively low, especially when compared to Turkey’s trade with Europe, the Middle East, Russia and even Africa, adding that the Turkish government is right to be concerned by the imbalanced trade ties. Jeffrey said trade between the two countries could reach three times the current level through concentrating on the military, aviation and automotive sectors. "US economic relations with Turkey are not simple statistics. They involve geo-strategic cooperation," he said, adding that Turkey and the US are cooperating on the Nabucco project, the pipeline for bringing Caspian Sea gas to Europe, as well as on investment opportunities in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Jeffrey said in Turkish, "From the Balkans to the Black Sea, from the Middle East to India, there is no country more successful and stable than Turkey, we should never forget this.” Talking about the model partnership between Turkey and the United States and saying that this could serve as an example, Jeffrey continued, “The US usually works with countries that consume security. But Turkey exports security. And that is very important." According to Jeffrey one of the reasons behind Turkey's success is the fact that Turks are a democracy, freedom-loving nation in favor of market economy. The founder of the Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's peace vision is another reason, he said. "He was not just a leader for the 20th century. He was a leader for us all."