Skopje, 26 December 2024 (MIA) - Minister of Economy and Labor Besar Durmishi met Thursday with Turkish Minister of Trade, Omer Bolat during his one-day visit to North Macedonia, discussing the improvement and strengthening of trade and bilateral economic relations.

Minister Durmishi pointed out that Turkey is one of North Macedonia's most important trade partners, a country that continuously invests in the Macedonian economy in various sectors, as a strategic investment partner, the Ministry of Economy and Labor said in a press release.

Durmishi said trade exchange data show that last year, Turkey ranked seventh on the list of countries with the largest volume of trade exchange with North Macedonia.

"I hope this cooperation will continue to strengthen in the coming period. According to the first nine months of 2024, the total trade exchange between North Macedonia and Turkey amounted to EUR 747.5 million, an increase of 10.4 percent compared to the first ten months of 2023," said Durmishi.

He also stressed that the total Turkish investments in Macedonia equal around EUR 2 billion. Turkish investors account for 38 percent of the total foreign investment in the country - fifth on the list in terms of investments and seventh in trade.

The meeting assessed that economic cooperation between the two countries is good, but the capacity is not sufficiently used. Efforts myust be invested in connecting small and medium-sized companies in almost all sectors. Interlocutors also addressed the possibility of cooperation between the countries, and called for increasing investments.

Durmishi and Bolat discussed greater participation of Turkish companies in Macedonian infrastructure and energy projects in order to increase investments in North Macedonia, reads the press release. ssh/ik/

Photo: Ministry of Economy and Labor