Turkish Economy Minister says Turkey exported 20 million dollars’ worth of goods to Qatar since the beginning of the Gulf rift.
Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekçi underscored that Turkey has sent nearly 200 cargo planes to Qatar carrying goods worth 20 million dollars since the Gulf crisis started on June 5.
Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekçi addressed, in the opening ceremony of Turkish Trade Center in Tehran, the criticism directed to the goods Turkey sent to Qatar
“Turkey did not send aid to Qatar, but exported the goods we had already received payment for. We have conducted perhaps the largest operation in terms of commercial transport, which we carried out with nearly 200 cargo planes as of now,” said Zeybekçi.
“Qatar is not a terrorist state”
Zeybekçi stated that Turkey has exported more than 15 thousand tons of goods to Qatar, “We earned an income of more than 20 million dollars. As an individual, as Nihat Zeybekçi; not as the Economy Minister, I can say that ‘Qatar is not a terrorist state’,” Zeybekçi noted.
Zeybekçi also said 120 products were added to 265 products within the scope of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) signed with Iran. The products added were 60 each for two countries. Stating that they would hold the semiannual assessment meeting of Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) on Thursday in İstanbul, Zeybekçi pointed out Eximbank’s loan value would exceed 40 billion dollars at of the end of 2017.
Regarding food inflation, “We try to adopt an automatic system. Prices in Turkey should not go through the roof independent of prices abroad. Putting import quickly into play would hang the sword of Damocles over prices. Exceeding a certain level, the sword will do what it has to,” Zeybekçi said.
On the update of the Customs Union, “When the Customs Unions is updated, our foreign trade volume will increase to 300 billion dollars within five years,” the Economy Minister stated.
