Indonesia and Turkey agreed to step up their bilateral trade from its current value at US$2.1 billion to US$5 billion over the next few years. Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made the statement in a press conference after meeting at the Turkish presidential palace on Tuesday. "Indonesia is not only a country with majority Muslim population but also a country which is rich in natural resources and economic potentials. I even believe the US$5 billion target could grow to US$10 billion," President Gul said. President Gul said now a Turkish airline had also opened a flight service between Jakarta and Istanbul enabling Asian people to go to Europe and vice versa. On his part, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he believed the US$5 billion trade target would be achieved in view of the current economic relations between the two countries. "We are also inviting investors from Turkey to invest in various sectors such as geothermal energy, trade, economy and others," he was quoted as saying by the UAE news agency "WAM." President Yudhoyono said the eight agreements that had been signed would open a new chapter in the relations between the two countries. "Let us open a new chapter in the relations that keep increasing," he said. After the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in the fields of politics, defense industry, small and medium businesses, joint programs to increase investment and in news exchange between state television station TVRI and Turkish television.
