Norwegian Prime Minister promotes Norwegian seafood in Turkey

At a seafood event in Istanbul, Turkey, Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg prepared and served samples of Norwegian salmon and herring to a large Turkish press corps, along with the captain of Norway’s national culinary team, Jostein Medhus.

The sale of Norwegian seafood to Turkey has increased in recent years. In 2010, sales of seafood to Turkey rose by 27% compared with the year before. Salmon, mackerel and saithe were the main products, with exports totalling over NOK 500 million.

At the event, which was also attended by Turkish Minister of Transport Bilani Yildirim, a Norwegian seafood lunch was served for the Turkish and Norwegian business delegates.

“Turkey has great potential as a market for the Norwegian seafood industry, since the country has around 75 million consumers and on the whole the population’s purchasing power is increasing. This event is part of our efforts to profile Norway and Norwegian industry and seafood in Turkey. We have also been able to showcase Norwegian culinary expertise,” said Mr Stoltenberg, adding that there had been great interest in the event.

Through its EFTA membership, Norway has a free trade agreement with Turkey that provides duty-free access for seafood products. The event in Istanbul was part of the joint strategy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Innovation Norway and the Seafood Council to promote the Norwegian seafood industry in Turkey.