ANKARA: Turkey’s government is the latest to line up to sign a free trade agreement with the UK once Brexit takes place, with its economy minister promising a “wide ranging” deal with Britain.
At the same time Britain’s Chancellor Philip Hammond met Chinese officials to agree new deals to increase investment between the UK and China. The UK cannot formally negotiate or sign any trade treaties until it has left the EU, but it has lined up informal preparatory talks on trade and investment with a series of countries to pave the way for deals. In September foreign secretary Boris Johnson visited Turkey to call for a “new partnership” between the countries which could result in a “jumbo” trade deal.
Now Turkey’s economy minister Nihat Zeybekci said he will “bring online” just such an agreement.”We have decided to bring online a wide-range trade deal between the two countries once Britain leaves the EU,” he told a parliamentary committee in Turkey, according to Reuters. In 2014 Britain imported £7.9bn of goods and services from Turkey and exported £4.9bn to the country, making it a top 20 trading partner in goods imports. Turkey is in a customs union with the EU which means many of the country’s goods can circulate freely around the trading bloc.
