07.02.2020 Ankara
TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu, speaking at the introductory meeting of the Product-Based Brexit Guide for the Private Sector project, which is organized by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and the Turkish Economic Policy Research Foundation (TEPAV), said: “Our desire is to establish a FTA with the UK as soon as possible. After Brexit, about $14 billion, 70% of our bilateral trade, will be negatively impacted.”
TOBB
President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said Brexit would affect Turkey both
economically and politically, reminding that economic, commercial and political
relations with the UK have always been always very important for Turkey.
Hisarcıklıoğlu said that all governments in the UK have showed support Turkey's
EU accession process.
Hisarcıklıoğlu
pointed out that there are analyses that Turkey is among the countries that
will be most negatively affected by trade after Brexit, “Our EU Customs Union
advantage will end, especially compared to countries in the far east. We will
now be subject to the same customs duty as these countries. So as our cost
swells, theirs will fall. Therefore, the top two countries that will benefit
the most from Brexit will be the United States and China.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu,
noting that Brexit will affect Turkey both economically and politically, said:
“Our
desire is to make a separate FTA with the UK as soon as possible. The FTA will
benefit the UK as well. Half of the $8 billion in imports from the UK will be
subject to additional customs duties after Brexit. So the UK's exports of about
$4 billion will suffer from this. In total, 70% of our bilateral trade after
Brexit, about $14 billion, will be negatively impacted.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu
stated that TEPAV has carried out a very comprehensive study to evaluate all these
processes and prepare for the future, and urged public institutions and
companies to benefit from it.
Dominick
Chilcott, the British Ambassador to Ankara, said they would set tariffs in
accordance with the goal of becoming a commercial and global leader.
Chilcott
noting that the FTA to be negotiated between the two countries is one of the
most important goals which needs to be reached, said, “However, we will not try
to bring our laws and regulations into a form in accordance with EU
Legislation. Otherwise, it would be contrary to our goal of regaining our
sovereignty at the heart of our reason for Brexit.”
TEPAV
Executive Director Sibel Güven said they have prepared a report for both
exports and imports, including impact analyses on the basis of individual
products and sectors, for healthy execution of the process.
Stating
that they have prepared an internet application on the subject, Güven said that
companies can also obtain information about the status of their products there.