[(1) Provincial Mission to Europe] MOU with Istanbul Province
MOU to promote commerce, tourism, culture and public/private exchanges

◇ On February 20 (local time), Governor Kim Moon-soo visited the Office of Istanbul Province where he met with Governor Huseyin Avni Mutulu and signed the MOU on Friendship and Cooperation between Gyeonggi Province and Istanbul Province.

Gyeonggi Province signs Friendship and Cooperation MOU with Istanbul Province, Turkey’s principal trade hub.

Governor Kim Moon-soo, while on an official mission to Europe and the Near East for seven days from February 19 to 25, signed an MOU for Friendship and Cooperation with Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu at the Istanbul Provincial Office on February 20, local time.

According to the terms of the MOU, Gyeonggi Province and Istanbul Province agree to: (1) contribute to improving the welfare of provincial residents; (2) cooperate in matters pertaining to the commerce, investment, agriculture, science, technology, tourism, culture and the arts; (3) boost cooperation and partnerships among public and private agencies; and (4) support mutual visits and exchanges between the two regions.

This is the first time that Gyeonggi Province has signed a friendship and cooperation MOU with a Turkish city or region. Istanbul Province has become the 28th local autonomy overseas to sign a friendship and cooperation MOU with Gyeonggi Province.

Execution of the MOU is expected to contribute significantly to boosting economic and cultural exchanges between Gyeonggi and Istanbul in conjunction with the Korean government’s promotion of the Korea-Turkey Free Trade Agreement. In particular, exports by provincial companies are expected to increase in the areas of agriculture, textiles, automobiles, and information technology.

In general, Korea-Turkey trade and exchanges are expected to accelerate as the Korea-EU FTA is now being implemented and considering that Turkey is a member of the EU’s customs union.

Governor Kim Moon-soo said, “Korea and Turkey are brother countries who can work together not only for their economic development but also for the promotion of world peace. Let’s continue to maintain close relations in the economic fields of roses, cacti and textiles, in which Gyeonggi Province has a competitive edge, and further enhance our scientific, cultural and trade exchanges.”

Governor Mutlu said, “Given the importance of Gyeonggi Province, we have high expectations for this friendship and cooperation MOU. I am confident that this will present new opportunities and bring about mutual development and prosperity.”

Istanbul Province, located in northwestern Turkey, has 30 cities, covers an area of 5,196 km2, and has a population of 12.91 million people as of 2011.

In particular, the City of Istanbul, the capital of Istanbul Province, is the economic center of the country in the manufacturing, trade, and service industries, accounting for 34% of the country’s trade and retail volume.

Situated at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Turkey is an ancient trading country. In particular, it acts as a gateway to the Middle East as it has maintained friendly relations with many of the countries in the region including Iraq and Syria.

While in Istanbul, Governor Kim also visited the Korean War Veterans’ Organization, met with 80 Korean War veterans, and presented invitations for industrial training in Gyeonggi to two descendants of war veterans. Governor Kim flew to Munich on February 21 for investment consultations with Linde Industrial Gas, a semiconductor gas company.

ⓒ G-News Plus | Nam Gyeong-woo | namgw2011@gmail.com

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201202211013437055C048&s_code=C048