On the instructions of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine Ihor Petrashko held a telephone conversation with Minister of Trade of Turkey Ruhsar Pekcan.

The conversation revolved around the conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Turkey in order to deepen trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

"Ukraine and Turkey have close economic ties and active bilateral dialogue. Today, our goal is to reset long-term negotiations and find a mutually beneficial solution for concluding a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). I am convinced that this will give impetus to the realization of our ambitious goal - to increase trade turnover to $10 billion," Ihor Petrashko said.

One of the pivotal issues during the conversation was the discussion of raising tariffs by Turkey within its capabilities in the World Trade Organization and its negative impacts on Ukrainian companies. The parties agreed that one of the options for resolving the situation is to jointly develop an optimal tariff proposal and conclude the FTA.

Thus, on August 28, the Turkish side has already sent an updated tariff offer for access to the Turkish market for Ukrainian goods. However, Ukrainian producers are facing numerous restrictive measures imposed by the Turkish side since the beginning of this year. In this regard, the Ministers of both countries agreed that in the near future the Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture, Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka will visit Ankara for comprehensive consultations with the Turkish side. The Ministers also agreed to hold personal formal talks to find a comprehensive solution to bilateral trade issues within the framework of the future FTA.