The Chairman of the Administrative Board of the Turkish Karanfil Group, Murtaza Karanfil, said cruise voyages between Turkey and Libya are boosting trade and tourism relations between the two countries.
Karanfil said that the cruise trips, which resumed recently between the Turkish city of Istanbul and the Libyan city of Misrata, are an important indication of the development of relations, stressing the importance of maritime transport in international trade and saying that maritime transport between Turkey and Libya is of great strategic significance.
He added that Karanfil Group had resumed its voyages between Turkey and Libya, as of April 2022, after a suspension of nearly 25 years, explaining that they organize the trips between Istanbul and Misrata in cooperation with Libyan companies.
Karanfil indicated that organizing cruise trips between the two countries came within the framework of the memorandum of understanding, signed in 2019, that defines the maritime jurisdiction areas between Ankara and Tripoli.
“This step will contribute to a major role in strengthening trade and tourism relations between the two countries. We are currently continuing our cruise trips via "ROPAX" ships, with a capacity of 900 passenger beds, an estimated 1,700 tons and 400 cars. We aim to transport passengers from all over the African continent, as our group constitutes a link between 26,000 Turkish companies and 120,000 Libyan customers.” Karanfil added.
He stressed the importance of the opening of a branch of the Turkish Association of Independent Industrialists and Businessmen in Libya, indicating that this step would reflect the extent of the development of trade and economic relations between the two countries.
