During his visit to Kyiv, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed hope that trade with Ukraine, which reached $6.6 billion in 2025, will rise "to a significantly higher level" following the parliament’s ratification of the Free Trade Agreement.
According to an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, he made these remarks at a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha in Kyiv on Thursday.
"Our bilateral relations with Ukraine are growing deeper every day. Turkish companies, despite the ongoing war, continue to operate in Ukraine. We are confident that our firms – primarily in the field of reconstruction, as well as in Ukraine’s recovery and economic development – will continue to contribute during the post-war period. In this context, we are very pleased to welcome the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s approval of the Free Trade Agreement between Ukraine and Turkey," the minister said.
He expressed confidence that, thanks to this agreement, the already existing "dynamic trade cooperation" between the countries "will be taken to a significantly higher level," and that in the post-war period, Turkish-Ukrainian economic relations will rise to a strategic level. Fidan said Ukraine is a country with vast agricultural lands and industrial potential.
"Turkey also has similar opportunities and capabilities. When these opportunities are effectively combined through cooperation, it is clear that this will create truly enormous economic potential. Our trade volume, which reached $6.6 billion in 2025 despite the war, will, I hope, rise to a significantly higher level after the war under the influence of this free trade agreement," Fidan said.
In addition, he says, Turkey is placing great emphasis on developing cooperation in the energy and transportation sectors.
"We believe that the most reliable and effective way to contribute to Ukraine’s energy security is to utilize Turkey’s well-developed infrastructure. Our Ukrainian friends also recognize this," the foreign minister said.
He said Ankara will continue to work together with other partners in the region to develop this cooperation.
Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan would visit Ukraine on July 15-16. Fidan last visited Ukraine on May 29-30, 2025.
