This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
051415Z Jan 04
UNCLAS ANKARA 000023
SIPDIS
STATE FOR E, EB/CBED, EUR/SE AND NEA/NGA
TREASURY FOR OASIA - JLEICHTER AND MMILLS
DEPT PLEASE PASS USTR FOR CNOVELLI/LERRION
FAS FOR ITP/THORBURN
USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/DDEFALCO
DEPT PASS OPIC - BRIAN TREADWELL
DEPT PASS EXIMBANK - RAY ELLIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON PREL EINV TU
SUBJECT: MFA U/S Ziyal Letter to U/S Larson on EPC
1. MFA transmitted a letter from Undersecretary Ziyal
to U/S Larson via diplomatic note on the Economic
Partnership Commission. In the letter, Ziyal affirms
the importance of the economic reform program,
addressing investment issues, moving forward on a Turkey
Qualifying Industrial Zone, and cooperating in Iraq
reconstruction. Ziyal suggests that some of these
issues may be pursued further during PM Erdogan's
January visit to Washington. The letter was apparently
drafted prior to the Embassy's delivery of Washington's
revised EPC action plan to MFA (septel). Embassy has
faxed a copy of the dipnote to EUR/SE
2. Begin Text of Ziyal-Larson Letter:
Ankara, December 29, 2003
Dear Alan,
The Economic Partnership Commission (EPC) meeting indeed
provided us with the opportunity to discuss issues
pertinent to our mutual economic activities. Once
again, I would like to thank you for your valuable
contribution to the overall constructive spirit of the
talks we had, which led to its success, as well as for
your kind hospitality.
We are looking forward to receiving your comments on the
EPC Action Item checklist. Needless to say, keeping
track of the ongoing economic reform program,
improvement of the investment climate in Turkey and
addressing certain concerns of the U.S. investors will
continue to be the priority agenda items to be followed
by the Turkish side with due diligence in the days
ahead.
The establishment of QIZs in Turkey, which has been a
recurrent theme since the first EPC meeting, still
remains to be a pending issue. We, therefore, welcome
your renewed efforts in this respect. We are looking
forward to the results of this new initiative and hope
that Turkey's participation in the QIZ program would be
realized to the satisfaction of both of our countries.
The prospects in enhancing the role for Turkish firms in
rebuilding Iraq augurs well and in fact, is a vital
component of our regional cooperation perspective. We
trust that the conferences to be held by the U.S.
Department of Commerce in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir in
January next year will be useful to this end.
Taking this opportunity, I would also like to refer to
the upcoming visit of our Prime Minister in late January
2004 to the United States. We hope that the visit will
yield successful results including some of the issues
that we follow up within the context of the EPC.
I look forward to working with you to follow up on the
EPC action item plan in the weeks ahead.
Yours sincerely,
Ugur Ziyal
Ambassador
P.S. Seasons Greetings and all the best for the New
Year.
End Text.
Edelman