By Talha Ozturk
BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) – Türkiye’s foreign minister on Monday inaugurated the Montenegro Turkish Chamber of Commerce in the capital Podgorica.
“Türkiye has one of the five largest diplomatic networks in the world with 260 representations. In a very short time we will boost this number even higher,” said Hakan Fidan at the opening ceremony.
“As a matter of fact, the total of investments with Turkish capital has reached €344 million ($375.20 million),” added Fidan, who is currently on a two-day official visit to Montenegro for a Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) summit.
“We are in the top ranks in Montenegro in terms of foreign direct investments. With the expansion of the scope of our free trade agreement, our bilateral trade volume last year topped $200 million. We anticipate reaching our trade volume target of $250 million, set by our traders, by the end of this year. But I know that this figure will not be enough for our presidents.”
Fidan encouraged businesspeople from both countries to focus in areas such as energy, tourism, infrastructure, education, health, agriculture, forestry, communications, and information technology.
The Montenegro-Turkish Chamber of Commerce starting its work will strengthen bilateral trade and investment relations between the two countries, he said.
“The opening of the Turkish Chamber of Commerce is proof, even a crown, of our mutual political and fraternal relations,” said Dritan Abazovic, Montenegro’s prime minister.
Abazovic stressed that Turkish companies are always welcome in Montenegro and will always find a place for themselves in large infrastructure, energy, and tourism projects.
“Although Montenegro is a small country as a piece of land, it offers great opportunities,” said Abazovic.
Many Turkish and Montenegrin businesspeople attended the opening of the chamber.
Fidan later met with Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister and Bosniak Party Chair Ervin Ibrahimovic.
