Turkish president vows to boost relations with Brazil

Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Friday that Turkey and Brazil were determined to further improve bilateral ties. Bilateral relations between Turkey and Brazil have been improved in the past few years thanks to high-level visits, Gul said at a joint press conference with his Brazilian counterpart Dilma Rousseff. Turkey and Brazil expect to increase trade volume to as high as 10 billion U.S. dollars, Gul said, adding that he "is confident that the target can be achieved very soon." For her part, Rousseff said there are great potential for the two countries to enhance cooperation in the fields of trade and energy. Before the joint press conference, Turkish and Brazilian foreign ministers and justice ministers inked agreements to boost cooperation in higher education and transfer of convicts.