NEW DELHI: Turkey has said it wants to double the number of flights from Delhi and Mumbai connecting the country to boost tourism and enhance trade and investments relations.
“We want to double the frequency of flights from Delhi and Mumbai. We also want to start flights to more Indian destinations. It will help in boosting tourism sector in both the countries,” Ambassador of Turkey to India Burak Akcapar said here at a CII function.
At present, a total of seven flights from Mumbai and Delhi connect India toTurkey. “We have completed all the procedures from our side (to increase flight frequency). Now the ball is in India’s court,” he added.
Akcapar emphasized on the need to increase awareness among the business community of both the countries to enhance trade and investments relations.
He said that the bilateral trade between the countries reflects that a lot needs to be done to increase two-way commerce as India is lagging behind several of its peers including China and several African nations. “Trade figure is very low. India lags behind in the way it represents in Turkey. It lags behind China, Africa and its peers in the world,” he said.The bilateral trade stood at USD 4.5 billion in 2011-12.
The Ambassador said that huge opportunities exist in Turkey for Indian business community in sectors like infrastructure, IT and automobile. He also emphasized to increase cultural cooperation between the countries and urged the Indian Prime Minister to visit Turkey. Major imports from Turkey comprise minerals, fertilizers, nuclear reactors and machinery, while exports include pharma, manmade yarn and electronic goods.
-PTI
