ANKARA: Turkey’s exports rose 1.8 percent year-on-year to $12.7 billion in June, the country’s main exporters’ association has said. The Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TİM) said however that imports dropped 1.53 percent, reaching $19.180 billion.
Turkey’s total exports in the last 12-month period rose 4.5 percent compared to the previous 12 months to stand at $147.3 billion, TIM added. In a related development, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek has said that the Turkish government intends to propose a set of new economic reforms that would improve the conditions of exporters and increase Turkish exports. “Exports are a must for more balanced growth. Growth based solely on domestic demand has limits. For this reason, we should continue pushing our exports,” Şimşek said at a press conference. Turkey needs to export for well-balanced, sustainable, and higher growth, and also escape the middle-income trap, Şimşek added. His comments came as data released by the Customs and Trade Ministry showed on Sunday that Turkey’s trade deficit narrowed 8.57 percent year-on-year in June to $6.021 billion.
