UPDATE - Turkey eyes more Turkish Trade Centers abroad

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM TRADE MINISTER

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey plans to open 35 more Turkish Trade Centers in various regions worldwide, the country’s trade minister said on Friday.

"Currently we have five Turkish Trade Centers (TTC) in 15 sectors. Our new aim is to open centers in 35 more destinations," Ruhsar Pekcan told Anadolu Agency’s Editors' Desk in the capital Ankara.

This September Turkey inaugurated a trade center in London focused on ceramics and marble, Pekcan said.

She added that the current trade center in Moscow will be reworked to better showcase Turkey’s fresh fruits and vegetables, which returned to Russian markets earlier this year.

She said the country will continue to hit export records through the end of the year.

"Turkey's exports in November were the highest monthly figure ever,” at $15.5 billion, she said.

“We will increase this and close out 2018 with a record."

She said the ministry's main purpose is to pave the way for businesses, and therefore to collaborate with other ministries.

"We protect our producer-exporters under the rules of the World Trade Organization. Accordingly, we take various measures," Pekcan said.

The ministry aims to give prominence to quality and increase the number of exporters, especially in the field of technology, the minister added.

Meanwhile, Turk Eximbank will have supported Turkey's exports with $44 billion by the end of this year, according to Pekcan.

"We plan to boost this figure to $48 billion in 2019," she said.

Since Turk Eximbank was founded in 1987, it conducts export credit, buyer credit, credit insurance and guarantee programs aimed at developing economic and political relations between Turkey and other countries.