Pehlivan, President of the Turkish-Ukrainian Businessmen Association, said, “Investments of nearly $400 million came to Ukraine from Turkey, especially with renewable energy investments.”
Burak Pehlivan, President of the Turkish-Ukrainian Businessmen Association (TUID), stated that the net foreign capital inflow in Ukraine was negative in 2020, “Ukraine received nearly $400 million of investment from Turkey, especially under the leadership of renewable energy investments, and our country became the largest foreign capital investor in Ukraine last year.”
Pehlivan answered the questions of the AA correspondent about the economic activities of Turkey-Ukraine.
Explaining that the last year was tough for the world and humanity, Pehlivan said that the difference between the rich and the poor, the developed country and the developing country, the big and the small company became wider in this period.
Pehlivan stated that serious turnover losses have been experienced due to the impact of strict quarantine measures in tourism, retail, aviation, and many service sectors, as a result of the reduction of mobilization, and said that Ukraine’s economic shrinkage of 4.2% can be considered a success when looking at the shrinkage rates in other countries of the world.
Stating that 2020 was a year in which economic and political relations between Turkey and Ukraine reached their peak despite all the negativities, Pehlivan said, “We have observed and experienced the weight and reality of this statement in many different areas from trade, investments, tourism, construction sector, security, defense industry. As Turkey, for the first time in history, we had a surplus in our foreign trade with Ukraine based on the first 11 months of the year. Moreover, we achieved this by increasing our exports to Ukraine, while the total imports of Ukraine decreased by 10% and Turkey’s total exports by 7% in the relevant period. ”
Turkey continues to invest in Ukraine
Stating that net foreign capital inflow to Ukraine was negative in 2020, Pehlivan said, “Turkey has invested nearly $400 million in Ukraine, especially under the leadership of renewable energy investments, and our country became the largest foreign capital investor in Ukraine last year.”
Explaining that the number of tourists coming from 191 of 192 countries, excluding Turkey, which is a member of the United Nations, decreased in July and August when the Turkey tourism season started, Pehlivan noted that the number of tourists coming from Ukraine only increased compared to the same period of the previous year:
“The number of Ukrainian tourists visiting our country in 2020 exceeded 1 million. Ukrainians tourists did not only go to all-inclusive hotels in Antalya and its districts as in the past, this time they discovered our new beach resorts for them such as Marmaris, Bodrum, Cesme.
Significant progress has been made in winter and cultural tourism. I see through my personal observations and conversations with our Ukrainian interlocutors that they were so pleased with their new discovery. There is a permanent change in the perception of Turkish tourism by Ukrainian tourists, Turkey will now prefer more culture and winter tourism, and in Turkey they will still enjoy the Mediterranean sea, sand, and sun, but the richness of our Aegean beaches will also attract them. “
Ukraine was the second country where Turkish contractors got the most work abroad
Pehlivan stated that under the leadership of Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelenskiy, he embarked on the biggest infrastructure move in his history under the name of “Buyuk Insaat” and said that the country where Turkish Contractors got the most work in the first half of the year was Ukraine.
“When we look at the whole year, Ukraine is the second country where our Turkish contractors won the most tenders abroad, when we take into account the locally received work.”
The Business Forum attended by Erdogan went down in history as the largest bilateral business forum in Ukraine’s history
Stating that despite the quarantines, there have been many mutual high-level visits between the two countries, Pehlivan reminded that President of Ukraine Zelenskiy and Prime Minister Denis Smigal attended Turkey in October and November respectively.
During the official visit of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Kiev on February 3, Pehlivan explained that the Turkey Ukraine Business Forum, which was organized with the participation of more than 800 business people with the significant contribution of the Turkish Ukraine Businessmen Association, went down in the history of the country in terms of the highest number of participants participating in a bilateral business forum in Ukraine. He said, “As the presidents of the two countries underlined in this forum, as the President and Prime Minister of Ukraine stated during their visit to Turkey, the signature of the Turkey Ukraine Free Trade Agreement, which is the most important agenda item of our economic and commercial relations, is just around the corner. I hope the year 2021 will be a year when we will see the signature of this agreement. “
“The share of agriculture in total country exports increased to 45% for the first time”
Stating that the Ukrainian economy has survived the epidemic period with much less damage than other countries in Europe, Pehlivan said that with the increasing demand for agriculture and food worldwide, double records were broken in agriculture.
Pehlivan gave the following information:
“While Ukraine has reached the highest agricultural product export in its history with $23 billion 395 million of agricultural exports, the share of agriculture in total country exports has increased to 45% for the first time. Similarly, with the increasing demand for iron and steel in the world, the export revenues of the country increased in these items, which rank second in the country’s exports. Thus, despite all the difficulties, Ukraine’s exports decreased by only 1.7% throughout the year, amounting to $49.2 billion, and imports decreased by 10.3% to $54.2 billion. Total foreign trade volume decreased by 6% to $103.4 billion. “
Explaining that the remittances, which are another important source of foreign exchange in the country, did not fall despite the epidemic and reached 12.3 billion, the highest in Europe, Pehlivan said, “Again, the country with the highest number of certified software experts in Europe, Ukraine exported $5.5 billion worth of software and information technologies. As a result of all this, the Ukrainian currency is trading today against the Hryvnia dollar, at the value it reached on March 21, 2020. We see that Ukraine is not affected by the loss of value in all currencies that have been developing for about a year. The retail sector grew by 8.2% compared to the same period last year, so Ukrainians consumed more with their increasing income.”
Despite everything it has been a very successful year for the Ukraine – Turkish business world
Pehlivan stated that they had a very successful year by the Ukrainian Turkish business world and the Turkish Ukrainian Businessmen Association, which he chaired, and he added saying, “Undoubtedly, without the positive ecosystem created by this high level of relations between Turkey and Ukraine, although we quickly adapt to new conditions, we could not have such a successful year, as TUID and Ukraine, the Turkish business world, we would not have made such a contribution to the economic and commercial relations of the two countries.”
Explaining that as the Turkish Business World, they increased communication and solidarity, apart from reducing communication by using the possibilities of technology in 2020, Pehlivan said that they exchanged views and exchanged experiences with hundreds of online meetings that business people attended and organized periodically according to their regions and sectors.
Burak Pehlivan, President of the Turkish-Ukrainian Businessmen Association (TUID), said he attended the largest charity event organized by the business world of a country of 29 years of Ukrainian independence with the great sacrifices of Turkish businesspeople. He said that in this event, under the auspices of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Kiev, with the organization of the Turkish Ukrainian Businessmen Association, thousands of parcels of food and hygiene materials were brought together with the needy through governorates and related public institutions in 12 different regions.
Source: AA / Translated by Irem Yildiz