Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen held talks with U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman in Washington on Monday, on the sidelines of the 25th annual conference of the American Turkish Council and the Turkish American Business Council.
Tuzmen told Portman that rice export quotas to the United States would be eliminated by 31 July 2006, and said he also secured Portman's backing on textile export matters.
The minister argued that current bilateral trade, valued at around 10 billion dollars, falls well short of what the two economies could achieve. He noted that Türkiye accounts for only a tiny fraction of total U.S. imports and exports, and said the figures should be far higher given that the United States imports roughly 1.7 trillion dollars worth of goods annually.
To expand the commercial relationship, Türkiye plans to organize trade fairs, dispatch business delegations, and conclude new agreements with American partners. Tuzmen also conveyed Türkiye's interest in hosting a World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in 2007.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in March 2006, in its own words.