DUSHANBE, December 5, Asia-Plus – The second Turkey-Eurasia Trade Bridge conference opened in Istanbul, Turkey on December 4. 

The meeting, hosted by Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), has brought together more than 2,000 industrialists, entrepreneurs and officials from the republics of the former USSR and Mongolia. 

Tajik delegation attending the conference consists of Energy and Industries Minister Gul Sherali, First Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister Amounullo Ashour and more than 40 entrepreneurs representing all regions of the country.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Turkey’s State Minister Kurshad Tuzmen, who is considered as one of ideologists of Turkish economic reform, said Turkey was eager to explore and exploit business opportunities with Eurasia.  

The conference is not limited to the meeting venues in Istanbul.  The guest delegations will also have a chance to get to know local businessmen and establish new business links during the visits to be made to Turkey’s important industrial and trade cities apart from Istanbul.

According to Turkish Today’ Zaman, ultimately, the Eurasian geography has an area of 23 million square kilometers and a population of 350 million and is now rapidly paving the way to becoming a global economic and trade center with its gross domestic product (GDP) of $1.2 trillion, foreign trade volume of $700 billion and annual growth of 10 percent.  Also, the region also possesses 10 percent of global oil and 32 percent of natural gas reserves, and as foreign direct investment (FDI) amounting to $200 billion has been made in various sectors in the region in the past 15 years, the whole area becomes important in strategic and economic terms.