Free trade zones to facilitate foreign trade

07 May '07

2 min read

State Minister for Foreign Trade Kursad Tuzmen said they are planning to establish free trade zones to facilitate easier foreign trade and that all countries trying to be more active in exports must implement national policies on logistics.

Tüzmen said that there was great competition in logistics and that the Turkish inland transportation sector had become the largest in Europe.

"This situation disturbs some countries; that's why some obstacles are tried to be put up against Turkish transporters. We are trying to remove those initiatives," he said, referring to the problems that Turkish transporters face in passing through Bulgaria.

Tüzmen said Turkey's foreign trade volume would be around $250 billon and that this was expanding the transport sector. "But our sector must not act for the domestic market; on the contrary they must plan on the whole region," he said.

The minister also said that as the growing Asian economies and the Turkic countries were becoming consumption centers as their wealth increases with oil and natural gas revenues, so does the importance of the East in foreign trade and thus, transport. "These developments have to be taken into account," he said.

Turkey's foreign trade and the transit trade have also brought many problems. "Turkey must launch seaport, rail and customs projects that are capable, feasible and environmentally conscious as soon as possible," he said.

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