ISTANBUL: Trkiye aims to strengthen its cooperation with North Macedonia, especially in the defense industry, the country's trade minister said on Tuesday. Omer Bolat met Besar Durmusi, North Macedonia's minister of economy and labor, in the Turkish capital Ankara. The ministers discussed economic and trade relations and the steps to take together in the upcoming period, Bolat said on X. Noting that Trkiye is already North Macedonia's seventh-largest trading partner, he said Ankara attaches great importance to boosting the bilateral trade volume and strengthening cooperation, especially in the defense industry. Bolat expressed hope that the meeting will contribute to the deepening of bilateral cooperation. Source: Anadolu Agency