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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Türkiye and Austria are working to deepen economic and strategic cooperation, including on projects to strengthen the Middle Corridor trade route, following talks with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker in Ankara.
The two leaders met at the Presidential Complex, where Erdogan hosted Stocker on his first visit to Türkiye since becoming chancellor. The meeting was followed by a joint press conference in which Erdogan outlined progress on bilateral trade, regional security issues and Türkiye's relationship with the European Union.
Erdogan said he was pleased to welcome Stocker to Ankara and expressed hope that high level visits between the two countries would continue regularly.
He noted that Austria's Turkish community, which he said numbers more than 400,000 people, remains "a shared value and asset" for both nations, adding that the wellbeing of that community had been raised during the talks.
Erdogan said trade between the two countries reached approximately $4.5 billion in 2025 and expressed confidence that it would climb to $5 billion this year.
He said more than 1,000 Austrian companies currently operate in Türkiye, while Austrian-origin direct investment has surpassed $11 billion. Turkish investment in Austria, he said, is approaching $1 billion.
Calling the figures clear evidence of untapped potential between the two economies, Erdogan said Türkiye favors replacing the existing Joint Economic Commission mechanism with a new Economic and Trade Joint Committee, adding that he hoped its first meeting could take place before the end of the year.
Erdogan pointed to green energy, critical minerals, high technology, transportation and defense industry as sectors with significant cooperation potential. "We believe we can jointly carry out strategic cooperation that will strengthen the Middle Corridor," he said.
The Middle Corridor is a transport route linking China and Central Asia to Europe via the Caspian Sea, Türkiye and the Caucasus, and has drawn growing attention from Ankara and its trading partners in recent years as an alternative to routes through Russia.
Erdogan said he shared his views and expectations regarding Türkiye's relationship with the European Union during the talks. "I emphasized that the steps the EU will take, particularly regarding the update of the Customs Union and the visa liberalization dialogue, are in all of our interests," he said.
Türkiye has held a customs union with the EU since 1995 covering industrial goods, and its long-stalled accession bid has for years included calls from Ankara for the agreement's modernization and for progress on visa-free travel for Turkish citizens, two issues that have remained recurring points of discussion between Turkish officials and their European counterparts.
Erdogan said the two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments. He reiterated that ensuring Syria's territorial integrity and unity remains a priority for Türkiye, and said Ankara values Austria's contribution to Syria's reconstruction process.
He said both countries remain committed to a two-state solution, which he described as indispensable for lasting peace in the Middle East, and noted that the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, an issue he said Stocker has shown particular sensitivity toward, retains its importance under current conditions. Erdogan added that Türkiye and Austria attach great importance to preserving stability in the Balkans.
Erdogan closed by thanking Stocker for the visit and voicing hope that the positive momentum in relations between the two countries would continue.
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