Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told an AKP parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday that Türkiye's total exports had nearly doubled under his government, climbing from 36 billion USD to 73.4 billion USD by the end of 2005. He credited stronger political and diplomatic ties with neighboring countries for pushing trade with those nations from 3 billion USD to 12 billion USD over the same period. Foreign direct investment in Türkiye reached 9.7 billion USD since the AKP took office, he added.
Erdoğan expressed condolences to Indonesia following an earthquake that killed more than 5,000 people and left thousands homeless, saying Türkiye stood ready to help the country recover.
On the diplomatic calendar, Erdoğan said he planned to visit Croatia on 12 June, Macedonia on 13 and 14 June, and Strasbourg on 28 June.
The prime minister stressed that Türkiye's EU membership bid carries significance beyond its borders, arguing that accession would create a bridge between the Islamic world and the West. He also highlighted an upcoming Alliance of Civilizations summit to be held in Istanbul in the fall, expressing hope it would open a new chapter in relations between cultures.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in May 2006, in its own words.