AA – State Minister for Foreign Trade Zafer Caglayan has announced Turkey’s foreign trade strategy, created to deal with the latest developments taking place in the global economy.

Speaking at a press conference, Minister Caglayan expressed the country’s goal to export goods worth USD 170 billion by the year 2015, which will make up 1 percent of total global trade. He went on to say that Turkey aims to claim a 1.6 percent share of total global trade by the year 2023 and reach an export volume of USD 500 billion.

Caglayan noted that they are working on measures to increase the number of exporters and that the number of exporting firms increased from 20,252 in January 2009 to 21,082 in January 2010. Caglayan pointed out the need for the companies to focus on exporting and added that as the Ministry, they were intensifying their efforts accordingly, as exports constitute a major part of Turkey’s future economic development.

Caglayan underlined that China, India, Brazil and Russia are expected to be the main export markets for Turkey, adding that aspects such as Turkey’s share of exports to these countries as well as developments in world trade, technological innovations and demographic make-up are being analyzed.

Caglayan also stated that they are working to create a manufacturing strategy focused on exports and declared the goal as transforming low-tech manufacturing into a high added-value creating industry.

Minister Caglayan pointed out that it is necessary to get to know countries with which Turkey can establish trade ties, and so the Ministry has decided to set up country desks for 33 countries. Detailed information about these countries can be accessed via the IGEME – Export Promotion Center of Turkey (www.igeme.gov.tr) website.

Furthermore, Caglayan said that an exporters’ inventory and exporters’ information system is about to be completed, and the Ministry has implemented an export coaching program which will offer training to small and medium-sized enterprises in many areas.