Ukraine and Turkey finalizing FTA as speaker visits Kyiv

Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal stated on March 4 that
Ukraine and Turkey were putting the final touches on a bilateral Free Trade
Agreement, media outlet Unian reported.

The announcement
comes as Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Mustafa Şentop
arrives in Kyiv for a two-day working visit. According to Ukrinform, Şentop
will focus on inter-parliamentary relations and diplomacy. Meetings with
politicians outside of the legislature as well as the business and Turkish
diaspora communities will also take place.

James Hydzik:
Ukrainian-Turkish relations have been building steadily over the past few
years, and the momentum is unlikely to stop. Military as well as business
cooperation is growing, as is (pandemic aside) tourism and migration, as
evidenced by Şentop’s meetings with diaspora leaders. The extent and breadth of
the ties – not merely trade but also in defense, security and free movement –
is a historic shift in relations across the Black Sea.