President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a speech at the Awards Ceremony for the Champions of Exports and the 26^th General Meeting of the Turkish Exporters' Assembly in Istanbul.  

Commencing his speech by congratulating the exporters that were given awards for their prominent roles in Turkish exports, President Erdoğan described the Turkish Exporters' Assembly, which brings together 83 thousand exporters under its roof, as the flagship of Turkey's commercial diplomacy.

Noting that Turkey’s exports stood at $168 billion at the end of 2018, President Erdoğan said: "This year, however, our exports have reached $171.4 billion as of May. The rise in exports is pleasing but not sufficient. We should exceed the $200 billion limit as soon as possible."

Stressing that Turkey is highly intertwined and integrated with the global economy, especially with Europe, President Erdoğan stated: "Our steps should, therefore, be in line with the rules of the free market economy."

"For all the ups and downs in our relations with the EU, which accounts for more than half of our total exports and a great majority of the international investments made in our country, we should make sure the economic aspect remains strong."

"We will not compromise our firm and coherent stance despite Europe’s silence in the face of speculative exchange rate attacks on our country," added President Erdoğan.

"On one hand, we will abide by the rules of our trade with developed countries, particularly with Europe. On the other hand, we will boost our exports by looking for new markets while expanding the existing ones."

Pointing to the ongoing process of designing a new world order on a global scale both politically and economically, President Erdoğan underlined that this process closely concerns Turkey, as well, which is a member of the group that comes right after the group of countries such as the U.S., the EU, China, Russia, Japan, and India in the world economy.

Recalling that it is one of Turkey’s primary goals for 2023, the centennial of the Republic, to rank among the top 10 economies of the world, President Erdoğan stated that officials of the relevant ministries and the Central Bank continue with their preparations for the G20 Summit to be held at the end of this month in Japan.

Noting that he will hold talks with his U.S., Chinese, Russian and German counterparts during the G20 Summit in Japan, President Erdoğan added that his visit to China on July 2 will focus on future steps to further improve the bilateral relations.

Drawing attention also to the busy agenda awaiting Turkey at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September, President Erdoğan underscored that no obstacle can stand in Turkey’s path so long as Turkey remains committed to its goals.

Latest developments in the eastern Mediterranean

Touching on the latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, President Erdoğan underlined that Turkey maintains its drilling and exploration activities in the areas allocated for itself.

Stressing that relevant units of the Turkish Armed Forces take all the necessary measures to ensure the security of the Turkish drilling vessels against any possible threat, President Erdoğan, regarding French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks about Turkey’s drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, underlined that Turkey is a littoral state in the Mediterranean and a guarantor power in Cyprus.

"The President of France wants us to withdraw from these searches. What are you saying? What business do you have there in the first place? We are a littoral state here. We are a guarantor in Cyprus. Greece is a guarantor. The U.K. is a guarantor. What about you? You have no title there," President Erdoğan said. (ILKHA)