TİM Statement on Exports to Spain

Turkish Exporters Council Strengthens Trade Ties with Spain The Turkish Exporters Council (TİM) continues to reach Turkish exporters to all corners of the world through trade delegations. At the Barcelona Trade Delegation organized under the coordination of the Ministry of Commerce and TİM, Turkish exporters from 13 sectors conducted over 300 round-table and B2B business meetings with approximately 100 Spanish companies. TİM continues to reach Turkish exporters to all corners of the world through trade delegations. At the Barcelona Trade Delegation organized by the Turkish Exporters Council under the coordination of the Ministry of Commerce in the city of Barcelona, Spain, approximately 50 Turkish companies from 13 sectors conducted over 300 round-table and B2B business meetings with approximately 100 Spanish companies. The opening ceremony of the Barcelona Trade Delegation, headed by TİM Chair İsmail Gülle and attended by representatives from 50 companies across 13 sectors, was joined by Turkish Republic Consul General in Barcelona Selen Evcit, Deputy Chair of Foment del Treball Ernest Quingles, Board Member of Barcelona Chamber of Commerce Joan Felip and approximately 100 Spanish companies. At the opening session of the Barcelona Trade Delegation program, TİM Chair İsmail Gülle stated that as the Turkish Exporters Council, they take great satisfaction in continuing their commercial diplomacy activities with 50 representatives from 13 sectors in Barcelona, the flagship city of the Western Mediterranean.

"Peace is a natural consequence of international trade"

TİM Chair Gülle noted that trade is one of the most fundamental necessities of social life, continuing uninterrupted in both war and peace, and that disruptions in trade lead to inflation and poverty, while disruptions in production lead to scarcity and shortages. TİM Chair Gülle continued his remarks as follows: "The commercial factors necessary for the continuation of social life serve as a barrier to war in peacetime, and determine the path to peace in wartime. Among the founding figures of today's democratic governance system, Montesquieu stated, 'Peace is a natural consequence of international trade.' Unfortunately, we are living in a period when conflicts have begun with security concerns taking precedence. In the war between Russia and Ukraine, the path to peace has begun thanks to commercial needs. Through Turkey's mediation efforts, the foreign ministers of the two countries met in Antalya to bring an end to this war as soon as possible. We hope this tragedy in our immediate region ends without further delay." TİM Chair Gülle, noting that countries today have lessons to learn from events they experience, said, "Merchants are not merely actors working solely for the prosperity of their own businesses with no purpose other than maximizing profit. We are people who build bridges of peace around the world through our commercial diplomacy activities. In this regard, I am of the view that today's commercial gathering is of utmost importance."

"We demonstrated our determination through 110 trade delegations in 73 countries"

TİM Chair Gülle emphasized that trade delegations occupy a central place in the commercial diplomacy activities of the Turkish Exporters Council, noting that despite the world shutting down during the pandemic, they transferred their trade delegations to virtual platforms and continued their work uninterrupted. TİM Chair İsmail Gülle stated, "Through 110 trade delegations we have organized in 73 countries since the beginning of the pandemic, we have demonstrated how determined we are to strengthen our mutual commercial relations despite the pandemic. Among these delegations is the Textiles and Apparel Digital Sectoral Trade Delegation organized for Spain. Spain is a country to which we attach special importance in our mutual commercial relations. We are pleased to see that our initiatives are producing positive results."

"Turkey and Spain maintain strong diplomatic and economic relations"

Defining the Mediterranean as the cradle of civilizations that shaped world history and the birthplace of international trade, TİM Chair Gülle said, "Countries bordering the Mediterranean, as people of the same sea, share common natural and cultural codes. As countries positioned at opposite ends of the Mediterranean basin, a legacy of world history, Turkey and Spain, in addition to cultural similarities, maintain strong diplomatic and economic relations. Our diplomatic relations with Spain, established in 1783, have continued to the present day on the principle of friendship. Our economic relations are today's driving force behind these long-rooted diplomatic ties."

Turkey's exports to Spain continued to grow in 2022

TİM Chair İsmail Gülle noted that Spain, with a national income of 1.4 trillion dollars, ranks among the world's largest economies and achieved significant success in the post-pandemic recovery process by growing its economy by 5 percent in 2021. He provided information that Turkey's exports to Spain increased by 44 percent to 9.7 billion dollars in 2021, and Spain ranks sixth among the countries to which Turkey exports the most. TİM Chair Gülle stated, "Our exports to Spain have more than doubled over the past 7 years. During the same period, Spain exported 6.3 billion dollars to Turkey with a 25 percent increase, becoming Turkey's tenth largest importer. Our exports to Spain continued strongly in 2022. In the first two months, our exports reached 1.5 billion dollars with a 12 percent increase." Ready-made garments and apparel sector leads sectoral exports to Spain Listing the sectors that generate the most exports to Spain on a sectoral basis, TİM Chair Gülle stated that the ready-made garments and apparel sector with 2.7 billion dollars in exports ranks first, the automotive sector with 1.6 billion dollars in exports ranks second, and the steel sector with 1.5 billion dollars in exports ranks third. TİM Chair Gülle said, "We can export more to Spain, which imports 418 billion dollars annually. Beyond these sectors, there are quite important sectors where we can further increase our exports. When we look at the sectors with the lowest ratio of current exports to potential exports, furniture, paper and forest products stand out at 24 percent, dried fruits and their products at 25 percent, home textiles at 38 percent, and the chemicals sector at 39 percent. Representatives from all these sectors are part of our delegation. I hope that through the discussions that will take place within the scope of the delegation, these opportunities will become reality."

"Our goal this year is to reach 250 billion dollars in exports"

TİM Chair İsmail Gülle stated that in 2021, Turkey demonstrated an export performance exceeding 225 billion dollars with its diverse product range, high-capacity production volumes in many sectors, and dynamic exporters who effectively leverage the advantages of its geographical location. He said, "Our goal this year is to reach 250 billion dollars in exports. Turkish exporters provided goods to those seeking goods and services to those seeking services during a period when global supply chains were disrupted. Our country emerged as a reliable port in global trade. With these qualities, Turkey offers profitable business partnerships to all its partners. I believe that the Barcelona Trade Delegation we are opening will make a significant contribution to our sectors' exports in the region."

"This delegation is very important for Spain-Turkey commercial relations in the new era"

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Barcelona Trade Delegation, Turkey's Consul General in Barcelona Selen Evcit said she was greatly pleased to be conducting a physical trade delegation with Spain, an important trade partner of Turkey, after a long gap. Turkey's Consul General in Barcelona Selen Evcit continued her remarks as follows: "As you know, we have gone through very difficult times. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we lost many people. The most important of these losses is of course the loss of human lives, but during this period we also faced significant economic difficulties. As the effects of the pandemic have eased, it is now time to refocus on the future. Today's event provides us with an important opportunity to address projects that can be implemented between the two countries in the near term, as well as common trade and investment opportunities. In this context, I consider this delegation conducted physically from Turkey to be very important for Spain-Turkey commercial relations in the new era. Noting that problems experienced in global supply chains, the sudden disappearance of production security and diversity, and changes in logistics operations have led many European countries to seek new alternatives, Consul General Selen Evcit stated, "In this sense, Turkey became the best answer to firms' search for new production bases. With its strong production infrastructure, membership in the Customs Union, skilled labor force, capacity to produce practical and quick solutions, and position that significantly shortens logistics costs and time, Turkey has the potential to become an important production center for Spanish companies in the new era. In this context, I hope that the trade volume between the two countries, which stood at 16 billion dollars in 2021, will quickly reach the target of 20 billion dollars set at the Intergovernmental Summit held in Ankara in November. I believe there are significant cooperation potentials between Turkish and Spanish companies in many different areas, from automotive to iron and steel products, from electronics to furniture, from textiles to food products. Now is the time for two important countries on these two separate shores of Europe to strengthen the commercial bridges between them. There are tremendous opportunities before our business leaders in this regard. I would like to thank all Spanish and Turkish stakeholders who contributed to the organization of this delegation. After this delegation, I hope that delegations from Spain to Turkey will also take place, and I believe that the discussions held here will contribute to trade between the two countries. Furthermore, I would like to emphasize that our Consulate General and Commercial Attaché are ready to provide all necessary support for all steps our private sector may take on commercial matters. We serve to enable Turkish companies to make contact with Spanish buyers, and we also meet the requests of Spanish companies to find producers from Turkey. We work to bring together business people from the two countries, create cooperation opportunities, and facilitate all these processes."

"With its economic success, Turkey will have the opportunity to play a much more important role in the world after the pandemic"

Ernest Quingles, Deputy Chair of Foment del Treball, another speaker at the meeting, expressed great pleasure at hosting the Turkish business delegation in the "Round-Table and B2B Meetings" event on behalf of Foment del Treball, an institution representing Catalan entrepreneurs and industry since 1771. Foment del Treball Deputy Chair Ernest Quingles noted that the pandemic, particularly the Omicron variant and related economic activity restrictions, restricted supply while causing a sharp decline in external and internal demand. Ernest Quingles stated, "In recent weeks, we have witnessed how the war in Ukraine has significantly increased prices for gas, electricity and other raw materials. For this reason, as Foment del Treball, we demand concrete measures from regional, national and European authorities in terms of supporting families and the most affected economic sectors. Turkey maintains good relations with Russia and Ukraine. Turkey has emerged as a mediator in this war, the fruits of which we hope will materialize in the short term." Foment del Treball Deputy Chair Ernest Quingles continued his remarks as follows: "I would like to emphasize that the innovation agenda in Turkey today has become more important than ever and that the Turkish government's efforts to support and encourage economic growth are commendable. Catalonia and Spain view Turkey as an important commercial and economic partner. Turkey is a stable and reliable trade partner for the EU in the economic field. As Foment del Treball, we consider Turkey's strategic location and strong influence in the Eurasian continent to be very important. Furthermore, we also recognize Turkey as a factor in global change. Turkey and its people demonstrate daily their willingness to contribute to growth and global economic recovery. As we can already see, with its economic success, Turkey will have the opportunity to play a much more important role in the world after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Proximity to the EU market, high labor force capacity and strong operators will provide Turkey with significant advantages. Geographic diversity, increased protectionism, Brexit, or the shortening of global value chains are just some of the challenges Catalan companies will have to face. In this sense, Turkey stands as a strategic partner in the Mediterranean. Particularly in this period, many materials have become strategic resources within the European Union. Turkey's geopolitical position amid abundant resources gives the country a competitive advantage in various interests of Europe. This is why relations between Catalonia, Spain and Turkey have increased in recent years. Doing business in Turkey is becoming increasingly easier, more valuable and more strategic. And I hope that after this event, many Catalan companies will increase their imports, exports and investments to Turkey, particularly in sectors such as energy, machinery for agriculture, textiles, efficient infrastructure, biotechnology, electronics, Industry 4.0, AI and Internet of Things (IoT)."

"Modernization of Turkey's Customs Union with the EU could also benefit the Spanish economy"

Barcelona Chamber of Commerce Board Member Joan Felip said that the importance of improving Mediterranean alliances has increased in times marked by pandemic, logistics problems, rising prices and most recently war, that Turkey and Spain can accomplish great things together and can overcome future difficulties together. Joan Felip concluded his remarks as follows: "Turkish-Spanish relations are increasingly shaped through NATO and the EU within the framework of trade, security and defense cooperation. Since both countries are highly integrated into the Western multilateral institutional structure, they are members of the Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and World Trade Organization. In addition, both countries are part of the Union for the Mediterranean organization headquartered in Barcelona. Turkey and Spain, as two former empires at opposite ends of the Mediterranean, also share historical similarities. Recently, Spanish investments in Turkey have intensified and have reached important sectors of the Turkish economy such as the banking sector. For this reason, modernization of Turkey's Customs Union with the EU could also benefit the Spanish economy."   Source