TOBB president urges state-based US trade

WASHINGTON - Anatolia News Agency

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu (L) meets with US official Johnson in Washington. AA photo

Turkey should follow a “state-based” policy in order to develop its economic relations with the United States, Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, chairman of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), said Dec. 18 in Washington.

Despite the increase of trade ties between Turkey and the U.S. in recent years, there is an unbalanced situation impeding Turkey, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, speaking at the press meeting after his visit to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“We have 26 business councils in 26 European countries while we have only one with the U.S. However, the economic size of North Carolina is equivalent to Sweden’s while Rhode Island’s is to Bulgaria’s, California’s to Italy’s, Texas’s to Russia’s and New York’s to Australia’s. Therefore, in order to improve our bilateral trade relations, we need to have state or even city and sector-based policies.” he said.

Clinton meet canceled

The TOBB chairman could not meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton due to her illness. Instead he met with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Jose Fernandez, assistant secretary of state for economic affairs.

Clinton passed out few days ago and suffered a concussion after becoming dehydrated because of a stomach virus. Hisarcıklıoğlu discussed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that was signed recently between the two countries, with Fernandez and Lionel C. Johnson, vice president of Middle East affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The agreement aimed at improving commercial ties between Ankara and Washington.