ISTANBUL

Türkiye is aiming to reach $100 billion in foreign trade with the US, which is possible with strategic agreements on energy and trade signed during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to White House this week, Turkish business representatives said.

Sekib Avdagic, head of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, told Anadolu that last year Türkiye ran a surplus in trade with the US in 65 categories, and that the Turkish business world aims to continue surpluses with increased exports.

“We believe that the meeting between President Erdogan and US President Donald Trump will accelerate Türkiye–US relations,” he said.

Avdagic stated that the Turkish business community’s efforts will determine how much of the $100 billion trade target with the US will be made up of Turkish exports.

He said the deals discussed during the meeting, especially the ones in energy and defense, show “Türkiye’s strategic power and capacity in the global arena.”

“We believe trade between the two countries will reach the $100 billion target with a win-win approach and mutually privileged tariffs,” he said. “The meeting will have positive results.”

Mustafa Gultepe, head of the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM), told Anadolu that the US is Türkiye’s second-largest export market, following Germany.

He said Türkiye’s foreign trade with the US last year totaled around $33 billion, including $16.4 billion in exports and $16.2 billion in imports.

“Despite the geographical distance, the US market has a great potential for us, especially in the chemical, automotive, ready-to-wear fashion, carpet, and electronics sectors,” he said.

“I see this meeting between Erdogan and Trump at the White House as a key step towards making this goal come true — I also attach significant importance to Trump’s praise for Türkiye’s production prowess and the quality of our products; however, I believe we can reach the $100 billion goal much faster if a free trade agreement is signed between the two countries,” he added.

-‘Best for Türkiye to continue fair and reliable policies’

Orhan Aydin, chair of the Anatolian Lions Businesspeople Association (ASKON), told Anadolu that Erdogan’s meeting with Trump was “befitting Türkiye’s reputation.”

Aydin said his group anticipated the outcome of the dialogue, especially the signals of normalization in Turkish-US relations, which could help reestablish investor confidence in Türkiye and boost foreign capital inflows into the country.

He said he expects opportunities to rise after this meeting in the form of foreign trade growth, technology transfer and cooperation, energy sector improvements, investor perception, and more.

“The easing relations between the US and Türkiye could reduce the latter’s credit default swap (CDS), which would lower external borrowing costs, thereby bringing relief in budget balance and interest rate policies,” he said.

“The economic implications of this new process will ultimately influence political outcomes — at this point, it is in Türkiye’s best interest to continue this balanced policy and maintain fair and reliable policies,” he added.

Hakan Cinar, head of the Foreign Trade Leaders Association (DISYONDER), told Anadolu that the Erdogan–Trump meeting was “a turning point, not only for Türkiye and the US but also in terms of the Middle East, the Palestinian issue, and global balances.”

“I believe the talks, which primarily addressed strategic cooperation and security policies, will shed some light on key developments in strengthening relations — the increase in the bilateral trade volume target of $100 billion shows that the current volume will increase mutually in the coming period, which is a promising development for our business community,” he said.

“We will wait and follow the steps taken following these talks — the US market has always been a significant and strategic market for our exporters, so I think every step taken in this direction will benefit the Turkish economy,” he added.