Trade turnover between Russia and Turkey to reach $30 bln this year, says envoy in Russia

MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/. The Russian-Turkish trade turnover will reach $30 bln in 2018, according to Turkish Ambassador to Russia Huseyin Dirioz, who delivered a speech at a meeting devoted to the end of his mission in Moscow.

“In the best years our trade turnover was about $30 billion, followed by a certain decline. This year we expect the trade turnover to reach this mark again. However, our leaders set a level of $100 bln, and we will strive for it,” he said.

“The energy sphere plays an important role in this regard. Such mega-projects as the Turkish Stream and the construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant play a major role,” the diplomat noted.

Dirioz pointed to actively developing relations between the countries in the sphere of tourism and added that Turkey will be ready to accommodate 6 million Russian tourists in 2019.

In 2017, the trade turnover between Russia and Turkey was $23.36 billion, up 37% compared to 2016 (the exports were up 33% and stood at $18.2 billion, and the imports were up 57.5% and reached $3.4 billion). The structure of goods exports to Turkey has hardly changed. Agricultural products and raw materials (31.24%) occupied the highest share in the imports, more than the importing of cars, equipment and transport means (29.8%). According to the Federal Customs Service, in January – August 2018 the trade turnover was $17.3 billion. About 5.5 million Russians will spend their holidays in Turkey in 2018, Russia’s Association of Tour Operators forecasted.