Spanish PM Rajoy visits Turkey to boost trade ties

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy began a visit to Turkey on Tuesday where he will hold a bilateral meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Rajoy, who travelled with the Spanish defence, interior and public works ministers, as well as the secretaries of state for commerce and foreign affairs, will seek to highlight the effects of the economic reforms in his country while also looking for new business opportunities for Spanish companies. Rajoy hopes he can help Spain continue the positive trend of increased investment in Turkey. Spain has seen an important increase in commerce with Turkey in recent years with the volume of trade rising by 18 percent between 2010 and 2012 and by 9 percent in the first nine months of 2013. Turkey is the 10th biggest importer of Spanish products and the third highest outside of the European Union (EU) after Morocco and the United States. Spanish exports increased by 35.56 percent between 2011 and 2012, with the service, information technology and transport sectors all benefiting. Rajoy and Erdogan will on Wednesday open the M3 metro line in the Turkish capital, Ankara. This line, which has a length of 15.3 km, was built jointly by Spanish company Comsa Emte and Turkish constructors Acilim Insaat. Rajoy is also expected to show his support for Turkey's accession into the EU. The two leaders will also discuss the ongoing struggle against terrorism, paying close attention to Turkey's borders with Iraq and Syria.