Tunis — Tunisia hosted on Tuesday, the Tunisia-Turkey Partnership forum on the mechanical industries and spare parts organized by the Turkish Embassy in Tunisia in collaboration with the Secretary of State for Foreign Trade and the Turkish exporters Committee.

Attended by approximately 54 Turkish businessmen in the sector of mechanical industries and spare parts, the Turkish Director of Foreign Trade, the Ambassador of Turkey to Tunisia as well as a number of Tunisian institutions in the sector, the event aims at making better known Turkish mechanical industries and spare parts products.

In his opening address, the Turkish Ambassador stressed the strong and lasting relationship between Tunisia and Turkey that share a common civilizational, religious and cultural heritage as well as the common objectives that link both countries namely in so far as progress, development and aspiration for peace and security are concerned.

The ambassador highlighted the free trade agreement signed in 2004 between both countries and evoked 1 billion dollar trade volume which, he said, is expected to double in the fourth coming years and the objective to double this number in the forthcoming years to 2 billion dollars.

Turkish mechanical industries achieved in late few years, good results concerning production.

"Production rate grew up nine times", said chairman of the "Anatolya" Federation of Mechanical Industries.