US firms covet Turkey

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Bilateral trade volume between Turkey and the United States has grown significantly in recent years, reaching $19.8 billion last year with an annual growth of 34 percent, Michael Lally, commercial counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, said yesterday.

“Turkey is a priority market and country for American firms,” he said, noting that companies from both countries make good partnerships. “They form partnerships all over the region, not only in Turkey. Turkish construction firms [especially] are very active in Russia, Central Asia and Africa.”

Bilateral trade was at $10.7 billion in 2009 and $14.7 billion in 2010, Lally said, adding that “We want a new record in Turkish-U.S. trade volume this year.”

There is nearly $1 billion in Turkish investment in the U.S., while American investments in Turkey total about $7 billion, Lally said.