Turkish President Erdogan calls for free trade talks with India

Says trade may grow by using local currencies rather than US Dollars

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a quick start to negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement with India.

Addressing a bilateral business summit alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, Erdogan said both trade and investment are way below potential and needs to jump start.

One way to do this, he said is by ditching the US Dollar in favor of local currencies from both countries for trade purposes.

While the proposal for an FTA had been pitched by Turkey before 2012, dates are yet to be fixed for starting negotiations, a senior government official said under conditions