ANKARA - At a time when Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is about to visit Turkey, Britain is one of Turkey`s most prominent commercial partners.
1,860 British companies operate in Turkey and the list of businesses include HSBC, BP, Tesco, Marks and Spencers, and Commercial Union.
Britain ranks among the top countries that Turkey has commercial relations with. Turkey`s exports to Britain last year amounted to 8.6 billion USD while its imports from Britain were valued at 5.5 billion USD.
Between January and November, 2007, 440 British companies invested in Turkey thus raising the number of British companies operating in Turkey to 1,860.
As of December, 2007, 76 Turkish companies were active in the British market.
40.4 percent of Turkish investments in Britain took place in the manufacturing industry while 30.5 percent of investments were in the commercial sector. 21.8 percent of Turkish investments in Britain took place in the banking sector.
Most of Turkey`s exports to Britain in 2007 involved ready made garments, automobiles, communication devices, electrical equipment, textile products, fresh fruits-vegetables, and iron-steel products. On the other hand, imports from Britain last year involved mostly energy producing machines and equipment, metal gems, machines, medicines, medical devices and organic chemical products.
Turkey receives a great amount of British tourists each year and the numbers keep growing annually.
Many experts believe that Turkey and Britain have a vast potential in trading consumer goods.
(SOL-AÖ)