Minister of Economy Zafer Çağlayan met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance of the German state of Baden-Württemberg Dr. Nils Schmid in Ankara on Monday during which a joint trade agreement was signed between Turkey and the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
Economy Minister Çağlayan mentioned the difficulties faced by Turkey due to the Customs Union agreement with the EU, citing the difficulties arising from visa requirements, the quotas placed on the free movement of Turkish projects and the fact that Turkey is unable to sign Free Trade Agreements with countries which already have such agreements with the EU. Stating that all of these factors create unfair competition for Turkey, Çağlayan said that if the situation persists in this manner they may have to revisit the issue.
"It is unfair to implement visa requirements for Turkish businessmen. Even nations such as Canada, Brazil and Japan, which are not even contenders for EU membership, are granted visa-free entry. This is a double standard," stated Çağlayan.
