In the article, that appeared in The Age newspaper on Thursday, Australian officials said that Turkey had great potential as a trade partner and that Erdogan’s four day visit, starting on December 7, could help kick start greater economic ties.

Prime Minister Erdogan will be accompanied by representatives of 130 Turkish companies on his visit, which will also take in New Zealand, and is scheduled to open a business forum in Melbourne the day of his arrival.

“Turkey’s economic prospects are robust, with annual growth rates expected to hover around the five percent mark,” the article quoted Austrade chief economist Tim Harcourt as saying. “Its expanding and modernising economy, with its 72 million residents, positions it as an increasingly important export market for Australian companies.”

According to the article, some 300 Australian companies sold about $200 million of goods and services to Turkey annually, with the majority of exports being minerals and fuel, dominated by gold and coal.

Turkey’s exports to Australia in the last financial year amounted to $280 million, and included trucks, dried fruits and nuts.