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Turkey and India working to increase bilateral trade to $15 billion by 2015
9 July 2012 / AYDIN ALBAYRAK, ANKARA
Turkey and India hope to increase their bilateral trade volume, which now stands at nearly $7.5 billion, to $15 billion by 2015.
We should be able to hit a bilateral trade volume of $15 billion by the year 2015, said Susmita G. Thomas, Indian ambassador to Ankara. The trade volume between the two countries has tripled since Turkish President Abdullah Gül, who described India as the country of opportunities, visited India at the beginning of 2010.
The trade volume between the two countries has tripled since President Abdullah Gül, who described India as the country of opportunities, visited India at the beginning of 2010. Considering the potential the two emerging economies have, the present figure is rather low. Im happy with the progress. Despite the global economic crisis, we will be able to maintain [last years] figure this year, the ambassador told Todays Zaman in an exclusive interview.
The two countries are making considerable efforts to boost bilateral trade. More and more Turkish and Indian businesspeople are looking for investment opportunities in the other country. On the occasion of the investment Indias Polyplex, producer of polyester, made in Çorlu in May, the director of the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT), İlker Aycı, said Indian investors are coming one after the other to Turkey to search for investment opportunities, and that Turkey has raised the number of investment consultants in India to two in order to better inform the Indian business community about Turkeys potential.
Indias advantage over Turkey in bilateral trade
And that is exactly what Turkey needs, because in bilateral trade India has the advantage over Turkey. Last year, Turkeys imports from India reached $6.5 billion, while exports remained at a modest $750 million. One of the areas that might help Turkey get the gap narrower is construction and infrastructure. Given that India is planning to invest $500 billion in infrastructure development and construction within the next five years, the country represents a good market for Turkish firms. The ambassador invites Turkish construction firms to search for opportunities in India. Turkey is strong in this area, and the sector is wide open to Turkish investors, she said.
Both Turkey and India have about 30 percent of their population working in the agricultural sector. In India, the food industry and related areas are also promising fields for Turkish investors. The Indian government plans to spend $19 billion on food processing and related areas by 2015. This is an area totally open for investment; there are no restrictions, Thomas remarked.
Other areas that are picking up speed in bilateral business relations are pharmaceuticals and IT-related sectors. I think more and more people from both sides are looking at pharmaceuticals and IT-related areas, the ambassador stated. In June top officials from Indias Power Grid Cooperation were in Ankara to have talks with Turkeys Information Technologies and Communications Agency. Commenting on the talks, the ambassador said, I expect at least two agreements to come through.
The ambassador also invites Turkish furniture producers to turn their attention to the Indian market. In 2010, India imported $3.7 billion worth of furniture, but the total demand in furniture, including office furniture, is in fact close to $10 billion. There is a tremendous demand for import furniture in India, the ambassador said.
Informing Turkish businesspeople on Indian market
As part of her efforts to curb Indias edge over Turkey in bilateral trade somewhat, the Indian ambassador is visiting cities around Turkey, trying to inform Turkish businesspeople about the Indian market. As an ambassador of India, I should be focusing more on what India can sell, but since I came here Ive been talking with Turkish businesspeople about how they can export more to India, the ambassador said smilingly, while adding that her efforts actually work to the benefit of both countries because Turkish businesspeoples contacts in India would also help increase Indias exports to Turkey as interaction strengthens.
India, with its rising middle class, believed to be as big as 300-400 million people, offers great possibilities for business. The total market size for fast-moving consumer goods in India is estimated to stand at more than $13 billion in 2012. About 1 percent of the population moves into the middle class each year. And according to the figures of the World Bank, 50 percent of the Indian population will be in the middle class by 2050.
Cooperation at the diplomatic level seems also to have increased between the two countries since President Güls visit to India. Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari came to Turkey in October of last year, and several contacts at the ministerial level followed that visit. The two countries indeed enjoy excellent relations. We have a lot of dialogue. I feel the understanding is excellent. There is no suspicion, no doubts. We can definitely build on it, the ambassador commented. India and Turkey are partners in the G-20, and more and more they are focusing on issues such as energy security, climate change and global terrorism. We both participate constructively in global antiterrorism talks, the ambassador added.
Although the two peoples may have much in common on the cultural front, its difficult to say the two know each other well. But steps have been taken to fill the gap in this area. Indias minister of youth affairs and sports was in Turkey last month, signing contracts to boost cooperation in sports and youth affairs. The two countries have agreed to exchange coaches in wrestling, archery, bodybuilding and football. As of next year, there will be an exchange of young people who will be accommodated at summer camps in each country, which is sure to allow the two peoples to get to know each other better.
Tourism as a means of closer relations
Tourism may be another means to achieve closer relations, but the figures in tourism remain moderate for the moment. Some 75,000 Indians visited Turkey last year, while the number of Turkish tourists visiting India remained at only 7,000. In order to improve that, India is planning to organize several road shows in Turkey in September. The deputy tourism minister of India will come to Turkey for the road shows, which are to be staged in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir and Antalya. In an effort to promote India as a holiday destination, the deputy minister will also have talks with tour operators in Turkey. We have been working on how to popularize India for Turkish tourists, the ambassador stated.
India has an enormous film industry, the worlds biggest. Bollywood produces about 500 films a year, but so far the Turkish public hasnt had much of a chance to get to know Indian films. Both sides feel there must be cooperation in this field. Addressing the developments in the Indian film industry, Thomas said, We are trying to popularize Indian movies here because in Turkey people dont know to what extent we make movies. That is, the Indian film industry has long surpassed films of classical type which older Turks still love watching. The Indian side has contacted Turkish authorities to see if Indian films could be broadcasted on TRT, Turkeys state-owned television channel. Also on the agenda is an Indian film week during which several such films will be shown with Turkish subtitles in Ankara and İstanbul.
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Ambassador loves Turkish tea
Both India and Turkey are tea-loving nations. And Indian Ambassador to Turkey Susmita G. Thomas, who drinks up to seven or eight cups of tea when at the office, loves Turkish tea. In our tea, we keep adding milk and sugar. But in Turkish tea, I dont need to add anything, she explained. The ambassador feels very much at home in Turkey. People are very warm, extremely courteous, more than in any other place, she said. The two nations have many similarities in various areas such as social values, handicrafts, artistic styles and cuisine. Even kebabs are very similar, except that we use many more spices, the ambassador noted. And in India, a kebab is also called a kebab, as in Turkish. But kebab is not the only word Turkish and Hindi have in common; çay (tea), düşman (enemy), cumhuriyet (republic), hürriyet (freedom), kitap (book), terzi (tailor) and adalet (justice) are just some of the words common to both languages. The ambassador started in Ankara in October of last year. Before Ankara she was posted as consul general in San Francisco, and before that in Chile as an ambassador.
India offers help with English
Learning and especially speaking English is a very hard task for most Turks, and India may be of great help in this area. We have institutes which are very good in the area of teaching English, particularly spoken English, Indian Ambassador Susmita G. Thomas has said. Working people, from the tourism industry to the business world, need to speak English in their work environment, and English courses provided by Indian language institutes may help greatly. Im confident that our language institutes will be able to teach people to speak English fluently, in the area of their profession, within three to seven months, the ambassador noted. Besides this, the courses would be cost-effective. The courses would be held in various Turkish cities as needed, and Indian teachers, or Turkish teachers after getting a course at language institutes in India, may teach at the courses.
The project also has the support of Education Minister Ömer Dinçer. At the end of September, a conference on education, in which Dinçer will also participate, will be organized in the Indian Embassy to bring the Turkish and Indian sides together. The ambassador strongly believes there is much potential to increase cooperation in education, mainly in conversational English and IT-related areas.
India demands UN Security Council be more representative
India, the worlds largest democracy, and one of the so-called BRICS countries, demands that the international institutions should be restructured so as to allow greater representation in todays world, and believes it deserves a seat in the United Nations Security Council as a permanent member. Basically, India really wants a more representative UN system, not something which is a legacy of 1945, Susmita G. Thomas, Indian Ambassador to Turkey has told Todays Zaman.
The ambassador is of the opinion that more countries should be allowed into both permanent and nonpermanent bodies in the Security Council to make it also possible for other countries to voice their opinions in world matters. Maintaining that all discussions going on at international forums, whether it be the climate change or trade, are extremely political, the ambassador said, All are heavily weighed against those countries which seek transparency and representation.
Supporting peaceful means for a solution in Syria
On the Syria issue India strongly supports UN Security Council resolutions, Kofi Annans plan and the communiqué prepared by world powers at the beginning of the month in Geneva. But Susmita G. Thomas has also noted that the latest communiqué has certain aspects which are a little too vague, saying, They have not spelled out how the transitional government will be formed, who will be part of the government. But still, she believes that its a very good fundamental document to stop the bloodshed.
India also appreciates that Turkey, despite the downing of one of its jets by Syrian forces, hasnt let the issue escalate into a military confrontation. Although the ambassador believes the possibility of the conflict in Syria turning into a regional one is very high, getting into a war is easy, but getting out is not so easy, she cautioned, adding that trying to resolve the issue through dialogue is the best choice. As regards the US-Iran confrontation, the ambassador also promotes peaceful means to resolve the conflict. Sending more warships [to the Gulf region] hasnt really deterred Iran, she commented, while also noting that India does not want Iran to develop nuclear weapons either.
Turkey and India working to increase bilateral trade to $15 billion by 2015
9 July 2012 / AYDIN ALBAYRAK, ANKARA
Turkey and India hope to increase their bilateral trade volume, which now stands at nearly $7.5 billion, to $15 billion by 2015.
We should be able to hit a bilateral trade volume of $15 billion by the year 2015, said Susmita G. Thomas, Indian ambassador to Ankara. The trade volume between the two countries has tripled since Turkish President Abdullah Gül, who described India as the country of opportunities, visited India at the beginning of 2010.
The trade volume between the two countries has tripled since President Abdullah Gül, who described India as the country of opportunities, visited India at the beginning of 2010. Considering the potential the two emerging economies have, the present figure is rather low. Im happy with the progress. Despite the global economic crisis, we will be able to maintain [last years] figure this year, the ambassador told Todays Zaman in an exclusive interview.
The two countries are making considerable efforts to boost bilateral trade. More and more Turkish and Indian businesspeople are looking for investment opportunities in the other country. On the occasion of the investment Indias Polyplex, producer of polyester, made in Çorlu in May, the director of the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT), İlker Aycı, said Indian investors are coming one after the other to Turkey to search for investment opportunities, and that Turkey has raised the number of investment consultants in India to two in order to better inform the Indian business community about Turkeys potential.
Indias advantage over Turkey in bilateral trade
And that is exactly what Turkey needs, because in bilateral trade India has the advantage over Turkey. Last year, Turkeys imports from India reached $6.5 billion, while exports remained at a modest $750 million. One of the areas that might help Turkey get the gap narrower is construction and infrastructure. Given that India is planning to invest $500 billion in infrastructure development and construction within the next five years, the country represents a good market for Turkish firms. The ambassador invites Turkish construction firms to search for opportunities in India. Turkey is strong in this area, and the sector is wide open to Turkish investors, she said.
Both Turkey and India have about 30 percent of their population working in the agricultural sector. In India, the food industry and related areas are also promising fields for Turkish investors. The Indian government plans to spend $19 billion on food processing and related areas by 2015. This is an area totally open for investment; there are no restrictions, Thomas remarked.
Other areas that are picking up speed in bilateral business relations are pharmaceuticals and IT-related sectors. I think more and more people from both sides are looking at pharmaceuticals and IT-related areas, the ambassador stated. In June top officials from Indias Power Grid Cooperation were in Ankara to have talks with Turkeys Information Technologies and Communications Agency. Commenting on the talks, the ambassador said, I expect at least two agreements to come through.
The ambassador also invites Turkish furniture producers to turn their attention to the Indian market. In 2010, India imported $3.7 billion worth of furniture, but the total demand in furniture, including office furniture, is in fact close to $10 billion. There is a tremendous demand for import furniture in India, the ambassador said.
Informing Turkish businesspeople on Indian market
As part of her efforts to curb Indias edge over Turkey in bilateral trade somewhat, the Indian ambassador is visiting cities around Turkey, trying to inform Turkish businesspeople about the Indian market. As an ambassador of India, I should be focusing more on what India can sell, but since I came here Ive been talking with Turkish businesspeople about how they can export more to India, the ambassador said smilingly, while adding that her efforts actually work to the benefit of both countries because Turkish businesspeoples contacts in India would also help increase Indias exports to Turkey as interaction strengthens.
India, with its rising middle class, believed to be as big as 300-400 million people, offers great possibilities for business. The total market size for fast-moving consumer goods in India is estimated to stand at more than $13 billion in 2012. About 1 percent of the population moves into the middle class each year. And according to the figures of the World Bank, 50 percent of the Indian population will be in the middle class by 2050.
Cooperation at the diplomatic level seems also to have increased between the two countries since President Güls visit to India. Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari came to Turkey in October of last year, and several contacts at the ministerial level followed that visit. The two countries indeed enjoy excellent relations. We have a lot of dialogue. I feel the understanding is excellent. There is no suspicion, no doubts. We can definitely build on it, the ambassador commented. India and Turkey are partners in the G-20, and more and more they are focusing on issues such as energy security, climate change and global terrorism. We both participate constructively in global antiterrorism talks, the ambassador added.
Although the two peoples may have much in common on the cultural front, its difficult to say the two know each other well. But steps have been taken to fill the gap in this area. Indias minister of youth affairs and sports was in Turkey last month, signing contracts to boost cooperation in sports and youth affairs. The two countries have agreed to exchange coaches in wrestling, archery, bodybuilding and football. As of next year, there will be an exchange of young people who will be accommodated at summer camps in each country, which is sure to allow the two peoples to get to know each other better.
Tourism as a means of closer relations
Tourism may be another means to achieve closer relations, but the figures in tourism remain moderate for the moment. Some 75,000 Indians visited Turkey last year, while the number of Turkish tourists visiting India remained at only 7,000. In order to improve that, India is planning to organize several road shows in Turkey in September. The deputy tourism minister of India will come to Turkey for the road shows, which are to be staged in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir and Antalya. In an effort to promote India as a holiday destination, the deputy minister will also have talks with tour operators in Turkey. We have been working on how to popularize India for Turkish tourists, the ambassador stated.
India has an enormous film industry, the worlds biggest. Bollywood produces about 500 films a year, but so far the Turkish public hasnt had much of a chance to get to know Indian films. Both sides feel there must be cooperation in this field. Addressing the developments in the Indian film industry, Thomas said, We are trying to popularize Indian movies here because in Turkey people dont know to what extent we make movies. That is, the Indian film industry has long surpassed films of classical type which older Turks still love watching. The Indian side has contacted Turkish authorities to see if Indian films could be broadcasted on TRT, Turkeys state-owned television channel. Also on the agenda is an Indian film week during which several such films will be shown with Turkish subtitles in Ankara and İstanbul.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ambassador loves Turkish tea
Both India and Turkey are tea-loving nations. And Indian Ambassador to Turkey Susmita G. Thomas, who drinks up to seven or eight cups of tea when at the office, loves Turkish tea. In our tea, we keep adding milk and sugar. But in Turkish tea, I dont need to add anything, she explained. The ambassador feels very much at home in Turkey. People are very warm, extremely courteous, more than in any other place, she said. The two nations have many similarities in various areas such as social values, handicrafts, artistic styles and cuisine. Even kebabs are very similar, except that we use many more spices, the ambassador noted. And in India, a kebab is also called a kebab, as in Turkish. But kebab is not the only word Turkish and Hindi have in common; çay (tea), düşman (enemy), cumhuriyet (republic), hürriyet (freedom), kitap (book), terzi (tailor) and adalet (justice) are just some of the words common to both languages. The ambassador started in Ankara in October of last year. Before Ankara she was posted as consul general in San Francisco, and before that in Chile as an ambassador.
India offers help with English
Learning and especially speaking English is a very hard task for most Turks, and India may be of great help in this area. We have institutes which are very good in the area of teaching English, particularly spoken English, Indian Ambassador Susmita G. Thomas has said. Working people, from the tourism industry to the business world, need to speak English in their work environment, and English courses provided by Indian language institutes may help greatly. Im confident that our language institutes will be able to teach people to speak English fluently, in the area of their profession, within three to seven months, the ambassador noted. Besides this, the courses would be cost-effective. The courses would be held in various Turkish cities as needed, and Indian teachers, or Turkish teachers after getting a course at language institutes in India, may teach at the courses.
The project also has the support of Education Minister Ömer Dinçer. At the end of September, a conference on education, in which Dinçer will also participate, will be organized in the Indian Embassy to bring the Turkish and Indian sides together. The ambassador strongly believes there is much potential to increase cooperation in education, mainly in conversational English and IT-related areas.
India demands UN Security Council be more representative
India, the worlds largest democracy, and one of the so-called BRICS countries, demands that the international institutions should be restructured so as to allow greater representation in todays world, and believes it deserves a seat in the United Nations Security Council as a permanent member. Basically, India really wants a more representative UN system, not something which is a legacy of 1945, Susmita G. Thomas, Indian Ambassador to Turkey has told Todays Zaman.
The ambassador is of the opinion that more countries should be allowed into both permanent and nonpermanent bodies in the Security Council to make it also possible for other countries to voice their opinions in world matters. Maintaining that all discussions going on at international forums, whether it be the climate change or trade, are extremely political, the ambassador said, All are heavily weighed against those countries which seek transparency and representation.
Supporting peaceful means for a solution in Syria
On the Syria issue India strongly supports UN Security Council resolutions, Kofi Annans plan and the communiqué prepared by world powers at the beginning of the month in Geneva. But Susmita G. Thomas has also noted that the latest communiqué has certain aspects which are a little too vague, saying, They have not spelled out how the transitional government will be formed, who will be part of the government. But still, she believes that its a very good fundamental document to stop the bloodshed.
India also appreciates that Turkey, despite the downing of one of its jets by Syrian forces, hasnt let the issue escalate into a military confrontation. Although the ambassador believes the possibility of the conflict in Syria turning into a regional one is very high, getting into a war is easy, but getting out is not so easy, she cautioned, adding that trying to resolve the issue through dialogue is the best choice. As regards the US-Iran confrontation, the ambassador also promotes peaceful means to resolve the conflict. Sending more warships [to the Gulf region] hasnt really deterred Iran, she commented, while also noting that India does not want Iran to develop nuclear weapons either.
Turkey and India working to increase bilateral trade to $15 billion by 2015
