Turkey Became One of the Greatest 5 Trade Partners

The Spokesperson of the US Embassy in Ankara stated “USA companies see Turkey as a regional center”. The spokesperson of the US Embassy in Ankara, Julie Eadeh, expressed her opinion on the position and perception of Turkey with this statement. In addition to being a regional center, Turkey is included in the list of the largest trading partners of the USA.

Eadeh mentioned that there was a strong economic relationship between Turkey and the USA. Moreover, she underlined that the previous year, the total trade volume between the USA and Turkey had increased by 32 percent. She added that it had reached approximately 28 billion dollars.

She emphasized that the US’s trade with the rest of the world had increased by only 22 percent during the period in question. Eadeh commented on this data as follows. “Turkish goods are becoming more and more attractive in the US market.” She also concluded, “the USA was the No. 2 market for Turkish exports in 2021.” She also conveyed the information that the previous year, Turkey’s exports to the USA had reached 16 billion dollars. This was an increase of approximately 45%. Moreover, with this increase, Turkey took its place among the countries with the highest rate of trade.

While Turkey ranks 4th among the five trading partners, it was mentioned that this progress could be further developed.

They Discussed the Details of the Strategic Mechanism Period

Eadeh stated that US companies in Turkey employed approximately 60,000 people in the country in 2019. Thanks to this employment rate, both business relations and individual relations have improved. Strategic relations between the USA and Turkey are also developing as a result of these employments.

Meetings were held in line with the mechanism decided to be established. It was planned during the meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Joe Biden in October 2021. The foreign ministries of Turkey and the United States issued a joint statement on April 4. The meeting was held in Ankara by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Sedat Önal and US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland.

The foreign ministries of Turkey and the USA announced the start of the Strategic Mechanism period in bilateral relations, with a joint statement on April 4th. This Strategic Mechanism is also related to improving employment differences between the two countries. During the meeting between the Turkish-American delegations economic and defense cooperation were discussed. In addition, the fight against terrorism, and regional and global issues were discussed within the scope of mutual interests.

It was among the resources that the mechanism would create a framework in which all dimensions of relations would be addressed. It is stated that it was aimed to address the issues more holistically. This is possible by creating an environment where different institutions of both sides could exist together. The development of bilateral relations was discussed at the meeting. Moreover, the restoration process in Turkey’s foreign policy leads to a further revival of the Ankara-Washington line. As a result, they mutually stated that they wanted this revival to continue. Thanks to the Strategic Mechanism, everything became clearer.

US Undersecretary of Commerce Marisa Lago Visited Ankara

All of these comments have been shaped by the general situation of Turkey and its development in trade. In addition, she made a written statement regarding the US-Turkey trade and economic relations. She also shared the details of the US Department of Commerce Undersecretary Marisa Lago’s visit. During the visit, Lago held bilateral meetings with Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar and Deputy Minister of Commerce Mustafa Tuzcu. The aim of these meetings was to develop trade relations between countries and provide further incentives.

It is also thought that Eadeh touched upon improved energy communication during this visit by Lago. Eadeh commented, “We held our 4th energy-focused event jointly with Turkey in the last two years. We are working closely with Turkey on regional energy development.”

Expected Partnership to Develop Renewable Energy

This situation was also discussed at the Eurasian Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Forum, which was held on April 5. The USA, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in the forum. Referring to this forum, Eadeh said, “We are determined to partner with Turkey to develop clean and renewable energy generation sources.”

It was stated that the USA was sensitive to more reliable energy cooperation. It is thought that Lago expressed her expectations from Turkey in terms of these collaborations during her visit.

As a result, the relations between the two countries are examined in all aspects and efforts are made to develop them. The interests of the two countries, especially the Strategic Mechanism, are shaped within the framework of innovations. Both the April 4 meeting and Marisa Lago’s visit support these thoughts.

Turkey’s gradual rise among its trading partners also suggests that the communication between the two countries will become more frequent in every respect. It was also emphasized that trade forums and meetings could be held several more times this year.