TURKEY-ISRAEL TRADE VOLUME RISES BY 135% UNDER AKP
(ANSAmed) - ANKARA, FEBRUARY 2 - The trade volume between Turkey and Israel has
reached to 3.3 billion dollars in 2008 from 1.4 billion dollars in 2002 when
the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development came to power, daily Hurriyet
reports. The official data showed that Turkey's exports reached 1.9 billion
dollars in 2008 from 1.6 billion dollars in 2007. Turkey's imports from Israel
rose 36% in 2008 to 1.4 billion dollars. One of the main trade items between
two countries is the defense industry. Turkey had auctioned the modernization
of the M-60 tanks to the Israel Military Industries (IMI) for 668 million
dollars. The IMI also won the modernization of the 300 military helicopters for
57 million dollars. Turkey signed three other deals with Israel for the
modernization of war jets. The financial amount of these agreements is 850
million dollars. The tension rose between Turkey and Israel after Ankara
harshly criticized the Israel's operations in the
Gaza Strip which left more than 1,300 people killed. The Turkish Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan's reaction to storm out of the Gaza session in Davos is
unlikely to effect the mutual relations, experts say. (ANSAmed).
2009-02-02 13:48
ansamed
