After having reached a total exports worth 113.6 billion USD in 2010, Turkey now eyes an export size more than 130 billion USD in 2011 and catch up with pre-crisis export volume, Turkey’s foreign trade minister said on Wednesday.
Turkish State Minister for foreign trade Zafer Caglayan said that annual exports could climb over 114 billion USD when customs statistics were unveiled later this month.
Government’s target for 2010 was 111.7 billion USD, and it is 127.5 billion USD for 2011.
Caglayan said Turkey’s exports in December totaled 12 billion USD, the highest of last 27 months. He said Turkey’s share in global export was 0.89 percent and added that Turkish economy should make it 1.5-2 percent to achieve the 500 billion USD export target set for 2023, the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey.
Caglayan also said that the world had experienced a shift of axis after the global economic downturn and that it was impossible for Turkey to continue on the same axis.
"Our exports to Europe is on the rise in terms of size. But when you look at Europe’s share in total exports, you can see it declining. It is because European economy has survived a serious crisis. That’s why we altered our course to Far East, the Middle East and to whole world," he said.
In 2002, EU’s share in total exports from Turkey was 56.5 percent. It fell to 46.3 percent. Africa’s share was 4.7 in 2002 but it reached 8.2 percent in 2010. Near and Middle East countries’ share rose from 9.6 percent in 2002 to 20.3 percent.