Turkey, Israel must encourage bilateral trade: Official

By Dilara Zengin and Tuba Sahin

JERUSALEM (AA) - Turkey and Israel must work to facilitate trade between the two countries, Cenap Asci, undersecretary of Turkey’s Ministry of Customs and Trade, said Tuesday.

Asci said he had recently met with Israeli officials to promote Turkish investment in Israel.

The annual trade volume between Turkey and Israel currently stands at some $4 billion, and Turkey would like to see this amount increase further, Asci said.

“Products that are delivered to Palestine are subject to double custom controls, both in Israel's Haifa Port and in Palestine,” he explained.

“This is unnecessary and we have spoken with Israeli officials on the issue,” he added. “Hopefully, there will soon be a single custom control.”

Asci said he had also discussed cooperation on commercial transit with Israeli officials.

“One route that we use for transit is Israel’s Haifa Port,” he said. “We can reach Jordan and other countries by passing through Israel.”

He went on to note, however, the lack of any agreement on highway transportation.

"Our trucks have to wait in Haifa Port. This wastes both time and money,” he said. “We raised the issue during our talks with Israeli officials, who promised to bring it up with Israel’s Ministry of Transport.”

“We also conveyed our grievances about high harbor fees,” Asci added. “The Israelis responded positively by reducing harbor tariffs.”

According to Asci, Israel and Turkey also plan to step up cooperation with a view to combating illegal smuggling.

Noting that both Israel and Turkey face the scourge of smuggling, Asci said both countries should do more to share information with a view to combating the phenomenon.

As for his recent meeting with Palestinian officials, Asci said: "The Palestinian government hopes to benefit from Turkey’s experience in [fighting] smuggling.”

He added: “We expressed our willingness to provide technical equipment and support, while Palestinian custom officers might receive training in Turkey.”