Greek support to Turkey’s EU membership

Izmir Trade Chamber (IZTO) Executive Board Chairman Ekrem Demirtas held a press conference after the summit and said that the summit would be held in Marmaris town of Aegean Mugla province the following year.

Chania Chamber of Commerce Executive Board Chairman Evagelos Spanoudakis said that the relation between two countries should not be limited only with trade and added that friendship ties should be strengthened in other fields as well.

Sides signed a final statement and decided Aegean to be turned into a sea of trade, investment and friendship.

"Sides agreed to make joint investments in Central Asia and Balkans which are strategical target markets besides our own countries, develop tourism and trade projects together in east Mediterranean which is a center of attraction, form a trade and tourism region in Aegean, Mediterranean, Thrace hinterland, act jointly in Balkans, make strategies for joint trade and investment in this region, prepare ‘regional market project’ that will cover whole Southeast Europe in 2005, make an economic leap in Aegean islands and coasts and in the region. Sides decided to make Aegean an attraction center within the scope of economy, trade and culture and to determine trade volume between two countries as two billion U.S. dollars in four years," noted the statement.

Sides agreed to start coastal trade and to eliminate commercial and administrative obstacles before it.

The statement said that sides decided to liberalize bilateral and transit highway transportation between two countries, to act jointly for starting Izmir-Athens flights, to fulfill religion tourism packages, winter and culture tourism programs and to make cooperation in finance and banking.