Minister of Commerce Ömer Bolat, who accompanied President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in New York to attend the 81st General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), spoke at the 4th Turkish-American Business Meeting of the Anatolian Lions Businessmen Association (ASKON).
Making evaluations about the transformation of the Turkish economy in recent years, Minister Bolat said that Türkiye had an economy of approximately 60 billion dollars and annual exports of 2.9 billion dollars in 1980, and that there were approximately 25 thousand companies and around 1000 exporters in the country at that time.
Bolat stated that Türkiye has significantly increased its economic capacity in 45 years, and the country's production reached 1 trillion 706 billion dollars as of June.
Stating that Türkiye exported a total of 405 billion dollars as of August, including 280 billion dollars of goods and 125 billion dollars of services, Bolat stated that Türkiye's total foreign trade volume, including imports, reached 860 billion dollars.
Bolat stated that Türkiye is the 16th largest economy in the world and the 11th according to purchasing power parity, and that an average annual growth of 5.4 percent has been recorded in the last 23 years.
Minister Bolat said, "Infrastructure, superstructure, education, health, energy, environment, cultural services, youth centers, sports facilities, transportation services, Turkey has been completely renewed and has become one of the newest countries in the world." he said.
Pointing to Türkiye's prestige and reputation in the world, Bolat drew attention to the image of Turkish goods and Türkiye's technology and production capacity.
Bolat said that the Turkish services sector stands out internationally in areas such as tourism, contracting, health, education, informatics, software, gaming and fair organization.
Minister Bolat said, "This prestige and reputation is reflected in the country's economy, foreign trade, exports and tourism. This is a complete ecosystem." he said.
Türkiye'S FOREIGN TRADE VOLUME WITH THE USA REACHED 38 BILLION DOLLARS
Referring to the relations between Türkiye and the USA, Bolat stated that the USA is Türkiye's second largest export partner and fourth largest import partner.
Bolat stated that the USA is the second country sending the most investments to Türkiye and approximately 1 million tourists come to Türkiye from this country.
Emphasizing that there are strong economic relations between the two countries, Bolat noted that Türkiye's foreign trade volume with the USA reached 38 billion dollars.
Bolat stated that the Turkish business community in the USA plays an important role in the development of trade between the two countries and said, "Your presence here is the biggest factor in reaching our foreign trade of 38 billion dollars." he said.
Minister Bolat said, "We will take our country to higher levels under the leadership of our President. The more we develop our economy, the more we increase our exports, the better we improve our balance of payments, the stronger the Turkish economy will be." he said.
"WE EXTREMELY CARE ABOUT THE TARGET OF CARRYING THE TRADE VOLUME TO 100 BILLION DOLLARS"
ASKON Chairman Orhan Aydın also stated that the world economy is going through a very rapid transformation and stated that we are going through a period in which change should be read correctly, opportunities should be seen in time and we should act with courage.
Aydin said, "I think it is necessary to look at the economic relations between Türkiye and the USA from this perspective. We attach great importance to the goal of increasing the trade volume between the two countries to 100 billion dollars." he said.
Noting that this is not just a number, Aydin said, "100 billion dollars means more Turkish companies entering the American market, more American investors investing in Türkiye, more joint production, more technology transfer, more employment and a stronger economic partnership. We will mobilize all our efforts and opportunities for this." he said.
Aydin stated that Türkiye's production power and America's technology and capital capacity can be brought together in joint projects in a wide range of fields, from energy to defense industry, from aviation to software, from artificial intelligence to agriculture, from tourism to high-tech production.
Bolat, who accompanied President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in New York to attend the 81st General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), spoke at the Global Turks New York Forum organized by the Global Turks Foundation.
Noting that they had a busy schedule in New York, Bolat stated that they attended bilateral meetings of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and made various contacts as ministers.
Bolat emphasized that Türkiye has made significant progress in organization and diaspora activities abroad in recent years.
"Türkiye IS NOW A STRONG PLAYER"
Pointing out the importance of the activities carried out by Turks under the umbrella of different organizations in the USA and other countries for Türkiye, Bolat said that these structures contribute to the promotion of Türkiye with the spheres of influence they create in their own environment.
Stating that Turks abroad can act as a bridge between Turkey and the countries they live in, Bolat said, "We are proud to see strong Turkish communities in the countries we visit. Wherever we go in the world, we are now very proud of the respect and reputation that Türkiye receives as a strong player." he said.
