Turkey seeks to double trade with Iraq

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey wants to more than double trade with Iraq this year, Ankara's economy minister said at a trade forum, amid recent tensions between the two neighbours.

"Our trading relationship is developing day by day and the volume of bilateral trade last year was $12 billion (9.4 billion)," Zafer Caglayan said in Arbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region. "We want this figure to reach between $20 billion or $30 billion in 2012."

At the forum, attended by around 150 businessmen representing 70 Turkish companies, Caglayan called for greater Iraqi investment in Turkey, according to AFP.

"We do not want to interfere in the affairs of other countries after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq," Caglayan said, amid accusations from Baghdad that Turkey, by voicing concern over a domestic political crisis, was meddling in Iraqi internal affairs.

"We do not want to plunge Iraq into crisis after the destruction it has suffered. We are concerned about the stability and security of Iraq."