Turkey sets sight on stronger trade ties with US

YAYINLAMA
GÜNCELLEME

Turkey is trying to build a new trade mechanism with the United States and would like to sign a new agreement to boost bilateral trade, State Minister Zafer Caglayan told reporters on Sunday during a visit to Chicago. Turkey wants US companies to produce goods in Turkey and sell them in the US market, he said. "We want US companies to get to know the Turkish market better," he added. "We met with some big companies from (the state of) Indiana. They want to cooperate with Turkey in energy efficiency … as well as in the poultry, furniture and timber businesses. They want to come to Turkey." The US companies want to cooperate with Turkey to get a foothold in the Middle East, Africa, Caucasus, and Europe, he said, adding that Turkey would soon open new commercial attaché offices in Houston and Miami, in addition to existing bureaus in Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The US is the world's third-largest exporter of goods, behind China and Germany, and is the leader in terms of service exports, Caglayan said, adding that Turkey also places great importance on service exports. The US imports $67 billion of textiles every year, including $27 billion from China. Yet Turkey's textile exports to the US total only $270 million, Caglayan said.