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Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore today begins an Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Turkey, leading 24 innovative, exporting Irish companies to boost trade between the two countries.

The Tánaiste will visit both Ankara and Istanbul during the four-day visit, organised in cooperation with the Embassy of Ireland in Turkey. He will have a series of high-level meetings with the Turkish President, Government Ministers and senior officials on trade and economic cooperation, as well as business meetings with Irish companies and their Turkish partners and customers.

With the current Irish Presidency of the EU helping to progress accession negotiations with Turkey, the visit comes at a good time for Irish companies seeking to take advantage of new opportunities there. Bilateral trade between Turkey and Ireland was worth over €1billion in 2012, with strong potential for further growth.

The Tánaiste will also visit a Syrian refugee camp on the Turkish border during his visit and hold high-level political meetings with Turkey’s Foreign and European Affairs Ministers on the subject of Turkey’s EU candidacy.

Speaking ahead of his departure, the Tánaiste said:

Turkey is one of Europe’s largest economies and an important, strategic link between Europe and the Asian economies of the region. This market presents compelling growth opportunities for Irish companies and this visit is about helping them tap that potential.

Trade missions are of critical importance in building on existing links and opening new doors for increased exports and collaborative business ventures. They are key to supporting Irish companies as they seek to grow, increase their exports and open new markets. Growth in trade and investment resulting from trade missions supports jobs in Ireland, and is a central element of the Government’s Trade Strategy and Action Plan for Jobs.

The number of Enterprise Ireland Ministerial-led trade missions has more than doubled since 2011, supported by Ireland’s network of Embassies and Consulates.

Enterprise Ireland’s Director of Global Business Development, Julie Sinnamon, said:

The continuing growth in Irish exports into Turkey shows clearly that there are significant opportunities for increased trade and partnerships between Irish and Turkish companies.

The market growth is in sectors where Enterprise Ireland’s client companies are particularly strong performers and I am confident that further growth and business successes will result from this trade mission and from the significant effort currently being put into the market by Irish companies.

Read the full press release

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