Jerusalem Chamber of Commerce launches Türkiye office

ISTANBUL

The Jerusalem Chamber of Commerce’s (Jerccom) Türkiye office has begun its operations aimed at strengthening commercial and trade ties amid the normalization efforts between the two countries.

The newly launched office will organize B2B-B2C meetings, establish ties between industrial zones and exporters’ associations, according to the statement issued by the Türkiye office.

The Jerccom’s Türkiye office will also work with the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Health Ministry, the Industry and Technology Ministry and the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry as well as the defense industry and trade associations.

The Türkiye office will contribute to domestic market and the improvement of trade, the statement added.

This week, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 20 for the first face-to-face talks between Israeli and Turkish leaders since 2008.

In a sign of full normalization of the bilateral relationship with Ankara, Israel earlier this month appointed an ambassador to Türkiye after almost four years.

Türkiye and Israel have been in a process of reconciliation since late 2021 with the purpose of mending the sour ties between the two regional neighboring countries.

Israel was one of the top 20 export markets for Türkiye in the January-July period. Exports to Israel grew 24.6 percent in the first seven months of the year on an annual basis to $4.2 billion, accounting for 2.9 percent of the country’s total export revenues. Imports from Israel amounted to $1.3 billion in the same period.

Türkiye exports mainly vehicles, iron and steel, electrical machinery and equipment to Israel and buys mineral oils, propylene polymers and machineries and mechanical appliances, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.