(REUTERS): Britain and Turkey are set to sign a free trade deal on Tuesday, the first since UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson secured a new trade agreement with the European Union.
According to UK’s trade ministry, the trading relationship was worth $25.25 billion in 2019 and it was the fifth-biggest trade deal the trade ministry had negotiated after agreements with Japan, Canada, Switzerland and Norway.
The two nations will sign a deal that replicates the existing trading terms between Ankara and London, however, British trade minister Liz Truss said that she was hopeful a bespoke deal between the countries could be struck soon.
Liz Truss said, “The deal we expect to sign this week locks in tariff-free trading arrangements and will help support our trading relationship. It will provide certainty for thousands of jobs across the UK in the manufacturing, automotive and steel industries.”
“We now look forward to working with Turkey towards an ambitious tailor-made UK-Turkey trade agreement in the near future,” UK’s trade minister added.
Britain has now signed trade agreements with 62 countries ahead of the end of the Brexit transition period on Jan 1, when it leaves the EU’s trading arrangements. The country also clinched its narrow trade deal with the EU, its biggest trading partner, last week.
