Turkish prime minister sets high goals for 2023

Turkey's national income could reach $2 trillion in the next 12 years, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Thursday in remarks at the "Turkey's Export Strategy for 2023" meeting in Istanbul.

"Turkey has become a stronger and more trustworthy country," he said.

Pointing out the rising sectors in Turkey, Erdoğan said the automotive, iron and steel, textile and transportation sectors had displayed a significant performance recently.

"I believe that thanks to the giant investments we are making in the iron and steel industry nowadays, we will achieve a much stronger position both in the national and international markets."

Turkish Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergün said at a meeting in Istanbul on Thursday that the government would make public the automotive industry’s strategy document in April. Ergün said the document had been opened to signatures at the High Planning Council and added that he hoped to share the principles of the document with the public next month.

Ergün also said Turkey would start implementing similar action plans in the machinery, iron-steel, electric-electronic, chemical and ceramic industries in 2011.

"Our national income, which was around $230 billion when we took over the country's administration, has grown by more than three times in the last six years to reach $730 billion. It can increase three more times and reach $2 trillion in the next 12 years," Erdoğan said.

Self-confidence was the key factor to achieving goals, he said, adding that he believed in Turkey and confided in the Turkish nation.

"I believe June 12, 2011, [the general elections] will be a milestone. We will proceed on our way in a much different way, especially with our exports goal of $500 billion. The synergy and the employment opportunities brought by this goal will activate a lot of things in Turkey," he said.

"When the Justice & Development Party [AKP] came to political power in 2002 for the first time, Turkey's exports were $36 billion," said Turkish State Minister Zafer Çağlayan, responsible for foreign trade, said at the meeting.

"Since then, exports have turned into a meaningful structure with a high added value. Some claimed that there would be a sharp decline in exports during the global financial crisis. But Turkey succeeded in sustaining its exports at around $100 billion even during the global crisis."

In 2010, Turkey reached the export target set in its middle-term program with a 12 percent increase, he said. "Our target is to increase exports to $127 billion by the end of 2011. But we want to reach the record Turkey broke in 2008 with its exports of $132 billion."

Exports reached $8.3 billion with an increase of 22.4 percent between March 1 and 23 while they increased 23 percent to $28 billion from Jan. 1 to March 23," Çağlayan said.

Turkey exported to 239 customs regions, “from Tanzania to Chile,” last year, he said.

"The number of exporter firms increased to 50,375 in 2010. The number of Turkey's commercial attachés will increase to 205 by the end of May," he said. "We have a target to increase our exports to $500 billion by 2023."


/Hurriyet Daily News/