Britain to sign free-trade deal with Turkey this week
Pact will provide certainty for thousands of jobs in UK manufacturing, automotive and steel industries
December 28, 2020
Britain and Turkey are set to sign a free-trade deal on Tuesday, the UK government said on Sunday.
It will be the first since Prime Minister Boris Johnson secured a trade agreement with the EU.
The two nations will sign a deal that replicates the existing trading terms between Ankara and London, but British Trade Minister Liz Truss hoped a new agreement could be struck soon.
"The deal we expect to sign this week locks in tariff-free trading arrangements and will help support our trading relationship," Ms Truss said.
"It will provide certainty for thousands of jobs across the UK in the manufacturing, automotive and steel industries.
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"We now look forward to working with Turkey towards an ambitious tailor-made UK-Turkey trade agreement in the near future."
The trade relationship was worth £18.6 billion ($25.25bn) in 2019, and Britain said it was the fifth biggest deal the ministry had negotiated after those with Japan, Canada, Switzerland and Norway.
Britain has now signed trade agreements with 62 countries ahead of the end of the Brexit transition period on January 1, when it leaves the EU's trading arrangements.
It clinched its narrow trade deal with the bloc, its biggest trading partner, last week.
Updated: December 28, 2020 02:00 AM
