Turkish state minister visited the 13th MUSIAD International Fair in Istanbul on Friday.
State Minister Cevdet Yilmaz told AA correspondent that the fair organized by Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD) during the meeting of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) was a positive and favorable event.
Businessmen from Islamic countries gathered and exchanged views on trade and investments, he said.
The most important issue among members of OIC was the agreement foreseeing establishment of preferential trade system among OIC countries, he said.
"We attach a great importance to this matter. We reached the final phase on it," he said.
Yilmaz said that Turkey was exerting great efforts for preferential trade system and free trade agreements.
COMCEC Meeting
The 26th session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) ended on Friday in Istanbul.
Delivering aspeech at the closing session of the meeting, Turkish State Minister Cevdet Yilmaz said OIC member states should exert efforts to increase trade level within the organization to 20 percent by 2015.
"In addition to the drop members' trade volume with the world, now we are facing a slowdown in trade among OIC members themselves, which had been around 16.6 percent for the last couple of years. It is obvious that we need to introduce more incentives to bring that figure up to 20 percent by 2015," Yilmaz said, adding, "we have to make Preferential Trade System (TPS-OIC) work in the shortest possible time."
Yilmaz said nine member countries had signed the TPS protocol so far, expressing hope that the system would be operational in 2011 when one more member country approved the protocol.
The Turkish minister said poverty was one of the major setback for the OIC member countries, adding that joint efforts to reduce poverty should be one of the priorities of the organization.
Yilmaz also urged member states to make more contributions to the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development, saying, "I believe that the fund will become a functional device when it received enough resources. I am inviting all member states to make contributions to this fund in their financial capabilities."
AA
Source : http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=64962 - Oct 9, 2010
