11.03.2021 Ankara
The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that with the Brexit process, the United Kingdom is outside the Customs Union, “Trade relations have not been interrupted thanks to the signed free trade agreement (FTA). The trade of industrial products will continue smoothly. We also welcome the participation in new areas such as agricultural products, the service sector, public procurement and investment in the FTA area. I hope that a new generation FTA will be signed shortly.”
Speaking
at the Turkey-UK Free Trade Agreement Information Meeting held online,
Hisarcıklıoğlu said that bilateral economic, trade and political relations with
the United Kingdom have always been very important for Turkey.
Hisarcıklıoğlu
stated that throughout history, the United Kingdom has been an important
partner for Turkey in relations with the European Union (EU) and third
countries, especially in the western world.
“Therefore,
we have closely followed the process of the United Kingdom leaving the EU, known
as Brexit. Because the consequences of Brexit are of great interest to our
country. In short, Turkey has lost an important ally within the EU. Because in
the development of Turkey's relations with the EU, the United Kingdom has
always made guiding contributions. Once again, I would like to thank the
British governments for their contribution to Turkey-EU relations.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu
said that despite the Covid-19 pandemic affecting the whole world, the trade
volume between Turkey and the United Kingdom was 16.4 billion dollars in 2020,
and That Turkey exported $11 billion and imported $5.4 billion, giving a
foreign trade surplus as in previous years.
Pointing
out that these figures were achieved with the opportunities provided by the EU
and the Customs Union, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “With Brexit, the United Kingdom
has been excluded from the Customs Union. A new agreement was needed to
regulate trade relations between Turkey and the United Kingdom. On behalf of
the business community, I would like to thank our Minister of Commerce and the
UK Ambassador to Ankara. Trade relations with the signed FTA have not been
interrupted. The trade of industrial products will continue smoothly. We also
welcome the participation of new areas such as agricultural products, the service
sector, public procurement and investment in the FTA. I hope that a new
generation free trade agreement will be signed shortly.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu
also forwarded the demands of business people in the TRNC to increase their
trade with the United Kingdom to Dominick Chilcott, the Ambassador of the
United Kingdom to Ankara.