Turkiye aims to reach $16 billion in exports to Iraq in 2023 to put it in second place in the ranking of countries to which it makes the highest sales, Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) Turkiye-Iraq Business Council Chairperson Halit Acar said Sunday.
Acar told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Turkiye-Iraq relations are progressing and exports to the country are increasing day by day. Sharing that $12.6 billion was exported to Iraq in the 11 months of this year, Acar said that while Iraq was the fifth in the list of the countries with the highest exports in 2021,it rose to third place this year.
Stating that the highest exports to Iraq were made from Istanbul with $2.6 billion, Gaziantep with $1.8 billion and Mardin with $833 million, Acar said: “We aim to export over $14 billion by the end of 2022.”
“Last year, we made an export of $11.2 billion. When we look at it as of the year, we see an increase of 25%.”
Stating that products such as cereals, pulses, oil seeds, chemicals, paper and forestry materials, furniture and steel are exported to Iraq, Acar said, “There are great opportunities in Iraq. A new government was formed about 1.5 months ago. The current government is planning to invest in many areas and I hope that Turkiye will definitely take a share in these areas.”
He said that Turkiye has high standards of production and has companies that have proved their success in the sectors they operate, one of them being the construction sector.
There are plenty of projects that Turkish contractors can play a role in Iraq, he said, citing electricity, mass housing, agricultural irrigation and infrastructure, superstructure and transportation projects as examples in addition to the Mosul Organized Industrial Zone construction area, health centers or school contracting.
A budget of approximately $100 billion has been allocated for those projects, Acar said, stressing that “Turkish businesspeople need to benefit from this budget.”
“Iraq is both our long-time friend and neighbor country. The warmer relations we have between the two countries, the more our trade benefits from this,” he added.