Premier Wen's Turkey visit to stimulate bilateral ties: Turkish ambassador
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Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's upcoming visit to Turkey will stimulate China-Turkey ties, Turkish Ambassador to China Murat Salim Esenli said Wednesday.
It will be the first time in eight years for a Chinese premier to visit Turkey, so the visit is significant, Esenli told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.
Wen will pay official visits to Greece, Belgium, Italy and Turkey from Oct. 2 to 9.
At the invitation of his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Wen will visit Turkey from Oct. 7.
During Turkish President Abdullah Gul's visit to China last year, Chinese President Hu Jintao proposed advancing the two nations' friendly bilateral ties and cooperative relationship to a new high.
Over history, there had been a considerable interaction between the two peoples, Esenli noted, adding that he feels "optimistic about the future of bilateral ties."
Concerning economic ties, he said bilateral trade is developing well, adding that Turkey hopes to receive more Chinese investment.
Trade between the two countries surged from 1 billion U.S. dollars in 2000 to 12.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2008.
Esenli noted the two countries will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties next year, adding that he hopes to plant the seeds for an even deeper friendship between the two nations during his term as ambassador.
