Jakarta, Dec 1: Turkey wishes to increase its trade transactions with Indonesia to $1 billion by 2007, the head of the Turkish Export Promotion Center, Tuncer Kayalar, told newsmen here on Wednesday. “Our target for the next two years is increasing trade transactions to $1 billion,” he said.

The trade relations between the two countries have been constant with Turkey’s exports to Indonesia reaching only 10 per cent of the total transactions with that country.

In 2004, the trade between the two countries reached $600 million.

To boost Indonesia’s exports to Turkey, he said a Turkish trade mission had come for the first time here on Wednesday. Turkey also plans to hold a trade exhibition here in the middle of next year, to introduce Turkish products to Indonesia, and later the country planned to invest in Indonesia,” he said.

Indonesian minister of industry Andung Nitimihardja earlier called on Turkish businessmen not only to export their products but build their factories in Indonesia as well.

In response to this, Runcer said that Turkey already had plans to invest in Indonesia.

“Indonesia is a huge market. Its location is also strategic to make us easier to enter the markets of its neighboring countries,” he said.

He said the Turkish mission staying here until Thursday would also visit Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

He said the Turkish government also planned to invite seven Indonesian investors to visit his country to study investment possibilities there.

On Indonesia’s economy, he said he was optimistic it would revive. “Our country has experienced an inflation of 80 to 100 per cent but we managed to lower it,” he said.

The Turkish trade mission consisted of 30 businessmen mostly operating in the food industry, especially flour production.

As one of the world’s biggest flour exporter, Turkey planned to boost its flour exports to Indonesia to $40 to 50 million in 2006.

He said Turkey was also interested in infrastructure investment in Indonesia.

“So far there only one Turkish company had been involved in the construction of power transmission lines in Indonesia. After the tsunami disaster last year, Turkish businessmen have become eager to participate in building infrastructure projects in Indonesia,” he said.—APP