The Minister of Economy and Labor, Besar Durmishi, met today with the Turkish Minister of Trade, Ömer Bolat, who is on a one-day visit to North Macedonia.
During the meeting held at the Ministry of Economy and Labor, the two Ministers discussed the trade and economic relations between Türkiye and North Macedonia, as well as ways to develop and deepen these relations.
As Minister Durmishi emphasized during the meeting, the Republic of Türkiye is one of North Macedonia’s most significant trading partners and a country that consistently invests in the Macedonian economy across various sectors as a strategic investment partner.
“Trade exchange data shows that the Republic of Türkiye ranked 7th last year among the countries with which the Republic of North Macedonia has the highest volume of trade. I hope this cooperation will further deepen in the coming period,” said Durmishi at the meeting. He added that in the first ten months of 2024, the total trade exchange between North Macedonia and Türkiye amounted to €747.5 million, representing a 10.4% increase compared to the first ten months of 2023.
Minister Durmishi underlined that total Turkish investments in Macedonia amount to approximately €2 billion. Turkish investors account for 38% of total foreign investments in the country. Türkiye ranks as North Macedonia’s fifth-largest partner in terms of investments and seventh in terms of trade volume.
It was highlighted during the meeting that economic cooperation between the two countries is good but not fully utilized. Efforts must be made to connect small and medium-sized enterprises in almost all sectors.
The parties also discussed opportunities for cooperation between the two countries and called for increased investments.
The two Ministers also talked about greater involvement of Turkish companies in Macedonian infrastructure and energy projects to boost investments in North Macedonia.