Indian PM calls for deepening economic ties with Turkey

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called for deepening economic relations between New Delhi and Ankara, and also invited Turkish businesses to invest in this country.

"India and Turkey are among the top 20 largest economies in the world. Both economies have shown remarkable stability even in volatile global situations," Modi told an India-Turkey business summit in Delhi.

"We are optimistic about our economic prospects. There is immense goodwill for each other between the people of the two countries. Time has come to deepen economic relations."

He added: "There is huge potential to enhance bilateral engagement. This is possible through trade and FDI (foreign direct investment) inflows, technology tie-ups and cooperation on various projects. We have seen some increase in participation of Turkish companies in some areas."

Claiming that his government was in the process of building a new India, the Indian prime minister said: "Our focus is on making it easier to work and to do business. This includes reforming policies, processes and procedures. We have achieved lots of success and recognition on this front. Our global ranking has gone up on many parameters."

On the tourism sector, he said: "We are putting up new ports and modernizing old ones ... Similar focus is on upgrading existing airports. Turkish tourism sector is globally renowned. The number of tourists going to Turkey has gone up in the last few years. It's also popular for shooting Indian films and television industry. We must explore wider opportunities in this area."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is on a two-day tour of India. Endit