Turkey’s southeast makes more exports to Iraq than EU states

Turkey’s southeast made two-and-a-half folds more exports to Iraq than EU member countries, the head of a regional exporters’ association said.

Wednesday, 08 December 2010 11:38

Turkey’s southeast made two-and-a-half folds more exports to Iraq than European Union (EU) member countries, the head of a regional exporters’ association said on Wednesday.

Abdulkadir Cikmaz, the chairman of the Southeastern Anatolia Exporters’ Association (GAIB), said the region made 2.081 billion USD of its overall 4.533 billion USD of exports to Iraq in the first eleven months of 2010.

“The region earned 34.4 million USD from its aqua-product and animal product exports to Iraq,” Cikmaz told AA correspondent.

According to Cikmaz, the Southeastern Anatolia Region made cereal exports to Iraq worth 475.8 million USD, dried fruit exports worth 9.2 million USD, textile exports worth 621.8 million USD, and carpet exports worth 84.7 million USD in the mentioned period.

Cikmaz said exports to Iraq were up 39 percent year-on-year in the first eleven months of 2010. The region earned 1.4 billion USD from its exports to Iraq in the same period of 2009.

“GAIB’s exports to EU member states in the first 11 months of this year was only 874.9 million USD,” Cikmaz said.

Cikmaz said Iraq continued to be a significant foreign market for the Southeastern Anatolia Region.

The region’s exports to EU member states were up 15 percent, and its total exports were up 30 percent year-on-year between January and November 2010.

AA