Top officials discuss Türkiye, US trade ties

ANKARA

Trade Minister Ömer Bolat spoke with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo to discuss bilateral and commercial ties.

In a phone call on Dec. 9, Raimondo congratulated Bolat on his appointment and affirmed the department’s support for increased U.S.-Türkiye commercial engagement, according to the statement from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

For this part, Bolat said that efforts are being made to achieve the trade target between the U.S. and Türkiye, noting that Turkish steel, aluminum, textile and apparel sectors expect problems they face with entering the U.S. market to be resolved.

Türkiye aims to boost the bilateral trade volume to $100 billion.

The two also discussed ongoing collaboration in aerospace, the digital economy and energy, and Raimondo emphasized the potential for U.S. green technology to contribute to shared climate change goals.

Raimondo also highlighted the Department’s largest annual trade conference, Trade Winds, which will take place in Istanbul in May 2024 and invited Bolat to meet in person in Washington.

The bilateral trade volume stood at nearly $28 billion in January-November, according to the latest numbers from the Trade Ministry.

The share of the U.S. in Türkiye’s exports was 5.5 percent, or $1.26 billion in November, while the country’s imports from the U.S were $1.36 billion.

Türkiye’s exports to the U.S. amounted to $13.5 billion the first 11 months of the year, declining from $15.5 billion a year earlier. Its imports from the U.S. climbed from $14 billion to $14.5 billion.

Türkiye’s exports to the U.S. increased from $14.7 billion in 2021 to $16.9 billion last year.