ANKARA - State Minister Kursad Tuzmen said on Sunday that they chose Africa as the new target in export, adding that ''we will go to Africa in the remaining part of this year together with our exporters and contractors.''
Speaking to A.A correspondent, Tuzmen said that his ministry completed the economic cooperation agreements with countries determined as target market in the first half of the year and they held the first joint economic commission (JEC) meetings with them.
Tuzmen said that Turkish export products markets would be opened in those countries and that Turkey would organize trade delegation visits to those countries.
Tuzmen stated that African countries had great potential in trade, adding that ''in the coming period Turkish exporters and contractors will go to Safari in African markets. I will be with them, too. While Turkey prepares for the post-2005 era in which trade in the world will become more liberal, it has to promote its products in these countries. We want to have good commercial ties with these countries with which other countries have no commerce. We can increase the trade with those countries by two and three folds soon.''
Recalling that Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meetings were held with Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Cameroon in the first half of the year, Tuzmen said that JEC meeting would be held with Senegal within 1-1.5 months.
''We worked very well in Africa. We had very serious studies in Egypt, Sudan, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia and we see their results. After my visit to Libya, I will go to African countries which we determined as the target market. There will be a busy programme directed towards African countries in the remaining part of the year. We should not ignore these countries.'' Recalling that negotiations continued for signing a free trade agreement with certain countries like Egypt and Lebanon to open the trade door to Africa, Tuzmen said that they expected the agreement with Lebanon to be resulted soon.
Tuzmen said that the purchasing power in African countries was not high, but there was a significant demand as industry didn't develop there, adding that ''our exporters should find alternative markets to prepare themselves to post-2005 period. We will ensure our exporters to have lasting market share in these countries. We believe that we will ensure that with high products.''
Tuzmen emphasized that African market was a very good export potential for SMSEs in respect of production scale and technological quality of goods.
Noting that those countries were also rich in natural resources aspect, Tuzmen said that industrialists would find the opportunity to provide cheap raw material from the first hand with the development of trade and this would increase the competition power of exporters in developed countries.
Foreign Trade Undersecretariat officials stated that within the strategy of opening to Africa, they tried to sign Joint Economic Commission (JEC) agreements with the countries determined as target market and also to make the signed agreements functional by holding periodic JEC meetings.
As the second step, Turkish export production fairs will be held with these countries and commercial delegation visits under the leadership of minister will be organized. It is also planned to bring trade delegations from the same countries.
Officials said that the countries, which are trade centers for surrounding countries, stable, have rich natural resources and have good infrastructure investments, are chosen as target.
JEC meetings were held with Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Cameroon within this scope this year. Turkey will sign JEC agreement with Senegal within 1-1,5 months. Activities regarding Tanzania and Angola are continuing.
Djibouti has a strategical importance in opening to East African market.
According to figures of State Institute of Statistics, Africa has five percent share in Turkey's foreign trade. Export to African countries increased 29.6 percent and reached one billion 69 million U.S. dollars between January and June, 2003 when compared with the same period of last year. Import from Africa increased 29.9 percent in the same period and reached 1.6 billion U.S. dollars.
(GC-Öª) 24.08.2003