ISTANBUL

Türkiye could emerge as a vital complementary logistics hub in transatlantic trade amid ongoing global supply chain disruptions, a sector representative told Anadolu.

Bilgehan Engin, head of the Turkish Forwarding and Logistics Association, said developments at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month ⁠demonstrated the evolving economic partnership across the Atlantic.

Global trade in recent years has faced turbulence with shock after shock, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war.

Security risks in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal have also severely hampered traditional maritime logistics flows.

Engin said the traditional trade structure, which was based on cost optimization, has been replaced by a more fragile but complex system.

“Technology, tech-intensive inputs, critical components, and trade in services came to the fore in the trade route between the EU and the US,” he said, noting that the route boasts a volume of around $10 trillion while serving as a key energy corridor.

Engin stressed that Türkiye has to redefine its contributions in this new era, as geopolitical conditions have shifted massively since the postwar founding of NATO.

He mentioned that Türkiye boasts a robust and modern port infrastructure capable of such a shift domestically, while the country also handles around 15 million 20-foot (6-meter) equivalent units of container traffic and 550 million tons of maritime cargo annually.

“Türkiye is a strategically located country, connecting Europe, its southern and eastern peripheries, the Middle East, and the Black Sea basins,” he said.

He noted that Türkiye aims to be an integrated partner in line with its 2026 and 2030 economic visions to ensure production and sustainability of trade flows despite geopolitical fluctuations.

Engin stated that Türkiye could play a central role in transatlantic trade from the first ring of a significant alternate outer perimeter, despite not physically being at the center of it.

Türkiye’s free trade agreement with the UK could be a crucial asset to this strategy, as the UK is a key player in both NATO and transatlantic commerce.

Engin said Türkiye should adopt friend-shoring in its future trade policy to build resilient supply chains with allied countries, urging authorities to accelerate the efforts to update the EU Customs Union and implement visa-free travel for Turkish businesspeople and truck drivers.

He added that Türkiye could also act as a safe haven to cooperate with countries like the UK and the US, as well as the EU, amid their growing sensitivities over undocumented migrant traffic, drawing attention to the “stronger reflexes Washington developed” during US President Donald Trump’s second term.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim