Ruhsar Pekcan

Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan has told the ambassadors of EU countries in Ankara that Turkey is waiting for the European Commission to renew the 1996 customs union agreement.

"Your contributions in this sense are exceptionally important. We invite you to work with the business world," she said at a meeting with the EU Delegation to Turkey on Feb. 26.

Turkey and Azerbaijan on Feb. 25 are set to sign a preferential trade agreement towards reaching a $15 billion trade volume target.

Turkey's services exports reached $53.7 billion in 2019, a new record high, the Turkish trade minister said on Feb. 14.

The services balance posted a $31.5 billion surplus in the same period and contributed to the country's current account balance, Ruhsar Pekcan wrote on Twitter.

The government allocated a total of 3.8 billion Turkish Liras (around $640 million) of financing to support exporters this year, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan has said.

Major global companies have requested meetings to discuss possible investment opportunities in Turkey, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan has said.

Turkey aims to exceed $190 billion in exports in 2020, the head of the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TİM) said on Jan. 21.

The country's exports, which were around $30 billion in 2000, were $180.5 billion last year, İsmail Gülle noted during the opening ceremony of the 16th International Istanbul Furniture Fair (CNR IMOB).

Turkey reduced its foreign trade gap by 45 percent and reached $29 billion from $54 billion, said the country's trade minister on Jan. 12.

Ruhsar Pekcan's remarks came at the Commercial Diplomacy Award Ceremony of Turkey's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK).

"The ratio of exports to imports rose to 85.8 percent this year," she said.

The total worth of projects undertaken by Turkish contractor firms abroad reached $395 billion as of the end of November, Turkey's trade minister has said.

The figure is expected to reach $400 billion as of the end of this year, Ruhsar Pekcan noted late on Dec. 25 during an award ceremony in the capital Ankara for Turkish contractors operating in foreign countries.

The government has unveiled a Logistics Master Plan, a long-term projection that includes more than $110 billion investments in transportation infrastructure.

The plan is prepared as a result of talks with all shareholders in a bid to turn Turkey into a logistics hub, said Transportation Minister Cahit Turan at a Dec. 25 ceremony at the main train station in Ankara.

Turkey and the European Union are willing to advance bilateral trade and investment relations, Turkey's trade minister said on Dec. 20.

"We had a fruitful meeting with EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan" to address various issues of mutual interest, Ruhsar Pekcan told a press conference following her official talks in Brussels.