Unprofessional Conduct Costs Türkiye Share of Iraqi Market

Iraqi authorities have begun blacklisting companies from several countries amid reconstruction efforts, according to a business official speaking in Adana in November 2006.

Ihsan Unat, chairman of the Türkiye-Iraq Businessmen Association (TIRIAD) in Mersin, said misconduct by some Turkish firms is damaging the reputation of honest Turkish businesses operating in Iraq.

The numbers tell a stark story. Of 530 foreign companies registered with the Erbil Chamber of Trade and Industry in 2005, 388 were Turkish. By October 2006, that figure had fallen to 270. Türkiye's share of the Iraqi market dropped from roughly 80 to 90 percent to about 30 percent, as firms from Germany, Jordan, South Korea, and Iran moved in.

Unat noted that Iraqi partners still prefer doing business with Turkish companies despite the setbacks. To help rebuild that commercial presence, TIRIAD plans to lease a large facility in Erbil to showcase products from at least 30 to 40 Turkish firms.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in November 2006, in its own words.