Turkey and the Netherlands aim to increase their trade volume to $10 billion, up from the current level of $8 billion.

Speaking at the Turkish-Dutch Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) in the capital province of Ankara yesterday, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said that after a pause, trade and economic ties between the two countries have picked up momentum.

"We signed a memorandum of understanding with the Netherlands as an extensive concept, prioritizing fields such as bilateral investments, standardization, energy, transport, smart and green cities, the recycling economy, science, innovation and women's entrepreneurship," Pekcan said.

At the meeting, Turkey's Scientific and Technological Research Council (TÜBİTAK) and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research signed a letter of intent to cooperate in the fields of science and innovation. TÜBİTAK is a national agency of Turkey playing a leading role in fostering a science and technology in the country.

For her part, Sigrid Kaag, the minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands, said the Netherlands is the gateway of the world to Europe and its partnership with Turkey is vital.

Kaag noted that a Dutch textile company and their Turkish counterparts would conduct a study on circular textiles, stressing that the Netherlands is the gateway to the world in Europe. "The JETCO meeting is very important for our commercial relations. Determining the next meeting demonstrates the willingness of the Dutch side to participate," Kaag said.

"Thanks to these meetings, we get a chance to address opportunities, solutions and problems. In this way, we discuss how we can advance our relations with innovations and how we can create our sustainable production chain and contribute to women's entrepreneurship, circular economies, smart cities and all other issues," she concluded.