Ruhsar Pekcan

Outgoing Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan. Photo: Turkish Trade Ministry

"The company was preferred due to its low price and the need to obtain those products because of the pandemic," the ministry said on April 20. It also insisted that purchases from the company were worth only 51,000 euros and were carried out in line with relevant regulations and the law.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has replaced Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan by a senior ruling party official, Mehmet Muş, and appointed Derya Yanık as the new minister for family and social services and Vedat Bilgin as the minister for labor and social security after abolishing Family, Labor and Social Services Ministry.

Turkey and Uzbekistan aim to enhance their bilateral trade volume to $5 billion, the Turkish trade minister said on April 8. 

Ruhsar Pekcan, who met her Uzbek counterpart Sardor Umurzakov in Tashkent, said the countries can achieve the target with a balanced trade based on a win-win approach.

The volume of e-commerce in Turkey jumped 66 percent year-on-year to 226.2 billion Turkish liras ($32 billion) in 2020, the country's trade minister announced on April 6.

"E-commerce spending to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio reached 4.1 percent in 2020, a rise of 51.8 percent from a year ago," Ruhsar Pekcan told a news conference held in the capital Ankara.

The D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement can be instrumental in enhancing trade relations between the member nations and achieving a $500 billion trade target, the Turkish trade minister said on April 5. 

Turkey and Azerbaijan should aim for a free trade agreement, the Turkish trade minister said on April 1. 

The newly agreed preferential trade agreement, which into effect on March 1, only includes a limited number of products, and a free trade agreement is suitable for both countries, Ruhsar Pekcan said during her visit to Baku, the Azerbaijani capital.

Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan met virtually on March 31 with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and discussed new ways to increase bilateral trade flows.

"We had a fruitful meeting with ambassador Tai and exchanged views on global and bilateral issues," Pekcan said on Twitter.

Turkish constructors earned $15 billion thanks to new projects undertaken last year, the country's trade minister said on March 30. 

As European Union membership continues to be a strategic target for Turkey, updating the Customs Union will be a key step to create a positive agenda between both sides, said Turkey's trade minister on March 23. 

Turkey is aiming to introduce many products to African importers through the African Virtual General Trade Delegation program for female exporters, which will be held this month in coordination with the Trade Ministry.