The media are invited to attend a banquet this evening at which Premier Rasool will host the Prime Minister and both will speak to the increasingly important ties between the two countries.
This will take place at the Mount Nelson Hotel at 19h30. Please confirm media attendance to Ms Adele Thomas or Ms Lizette Louw on 021 483 3402 or 483 5669. Photo and interview enquiries via Clayton Wakeford as below please.
The Prime Minister and his delegation arrive late morning and will participate in a series of meetings this afternoon including Wesgro.
Diplomatic relations between our countries were initiated by Deputy President Zuma on a trip to Turkey in October of 2003. Identifying the strategic nature of a partnership between our countries, Wesgro arranged a trip to Istanbul during September last year, inviting Premier Rasool to lead this mission. It was hugely successful with the Premier participating in important meetings with Turkey’s Minister of State and a number of Turkey’s large conglomerates.
Since then, Wesgro has hosted two business delegations from Turkey and assisted the Department of Foreign Affairs with the visit of Turkey’s Minister of State, Mr. Kursad Tuzmen who was in Cape Town last year to attend the World Free Zones Conference.
The Prime Minister is here to sign the following agreements:
- Trade and Economic Co-operation
- Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income
- Agreement on Mutual Assistance and Customs Administration
The latter two agreements are SARS co-operation agreements, and all will be signed prior to coming to Cape Town.
The signing of these agreements signifies a strong intent by both our governments to open the channels for trade and embark of a process of making economic co-operation as smooth as possible between South Africa and Turkey.
According to official Turkish trade statistics, South African exports including gold to Turkey increased by 205% during January to December of 2004 over the same period in 2003, reaching R 5.6 billion. Gold is the single largest South African export to Turkey, increasing by 617% the January-December 2004 period when compared to the same period of 2003, totaling R 3.8 billion.
Turkish exports to South Africa were much less though, totaling R 1.1 billion over the January-December 2004 period, and increased by 57% as compared to the same period in 2003. Again, this is according to official Turkish trade stats.
Clearly, our governments’ commitment to pursuing this increased co-operation is justified. The commitment is supported by the co-operation agreements and every effort must be made to ensure that trade increased between our countries.
Turkey enjoys a very strategic geopolitical position, offering access to the Middle East, the Black Sea Basin, the Mediterranean Basin, the Balkans and the Turkish Straits. As South Africa offers access to the rest of Africa, Turkey offers access to these regions.
This relationship initiated by our governments holds much for Western Cape based business. As companies begin trading in a foreign country they are able to assess the stability of the country, be it political or economic. It also illustrates a certain degree of competence in that country. It is after the initial reservations are replaced by confidence in the country that we begin to notice a move from merely trading to actual investment into that country.
We thus want to present the province’s business potential to Turkey, exporting our products to them, importing some of theirs to show that there is a market here for some of these products. This will indicate that a potential for investment exists. Investment into a country results in stimulating its economy, creating employment, increasing the overall standard of living, especially in poorer communities.
Please contact Clayton Wakeford on [082 827 8792] for any further input or clarification and or interview requests.
