FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
202-482-4883
Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary
Rebecca Blank wrapped up her visit to Turkey today after co-chairing the second
meeting of the U.S.-Turkey Framework for Strategic Economic and Commercial
Cooperation (FSECC) with U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk in Ankara
yesterday. The Turkish delegation was led by Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan
and Minister of the Economy Zafer Caglayan.
The FSECC was created following the first meeting between President Obama and
Turkish President Gul in April 2009. The two leaders tasked the U.S. and
Turkish governments to create a framework to help substantially increase the
trade and investment flows between both countries to help strengthen the
economic dimension of our partnership. The meeting focused on
opportunities for increased bilateral trade and investment relations to create
jobs in both countries, and the ministers agreed on several concrete steps to
advance the U.S-Turkish commercial relationship. The Acting Secretary promoted
increased Foreign Direct Investment, including calling for greater Turkish FDI
to the U.S., highlighting Commerce’s SelectUSA initiative. The four
principals made a joint
statement after the meeting.
During the meeting, Acting Secretary Blank announced that the Commerce
Department's International Trade Administration will lead an Aerospace and
Defense Industry Trade Mission to Turkey in December 2012. She also applauded
the work that has been done so far to increase bilateral trade between the U.S.
and Turkey. She emphasized the work that must be done to continue to
advance the U.S.-Turkey trade relationship, such as overcoming market access
barriers, furthering cooperation on intellectual property rights, and enabling
businesses to take advantage of opportunities in key sectors such as renewable
energy, financial services, and infrastructure.
Acting Secretary Blank spoke about the commitments made by both sides that
will lead to an even stronger partnership between the U.S. and Turkey – and
even greater prosperity for people of both countries. These commitments include
holding a World Bank Ease of Doing Business Symposium, as well as a
Symposium on Infrastructure Cooperation. She also made a strong push
for both governments to listen to the advice and recommendations of the
U.S.-Turkey Business Council. She highlighted the commitment of the U.S.
to ensuring that these efforts remain on track, in addition to future efforts
to bring new ideas to the forefront in strengthening the commercial
relationship between the two countries.
Also at FSECC, Leocadia I. Zak, Director of the U.S. Trade and Development
Agency (USTDA), part of the U.S. delegation and participating in the energy and
transportation sessions at the FSECC, announced
that USTDA will host a smart grid workshop in Turkey this winter that will
connect U.S. technology providers to the public and private sectors in Turkey.
In addition to co-chairing the FSECC, Blank participated in the grand opening
of the American Business Center in Ankara, which will house the new offices of
the Foreign Commercial Service in Ankara. She noted that the Center,
which is located in the same building as the Ankara Chamber of Industry,
will help strengthen the bonds between private industries in both
countries. At both FSECC and throughout the day, Blank advocated for U.S.
companies that are seeking to do business with Turkey, stressing the high
quality and competitive advantages that U.S. companies offer.
As the world’s fastest growing economy during the first quarter of 2011, Turkey
represents a market with great potential. Turkey has been designated as a
priority market under President Obama’s National Export Initiative and has, as
a result, been the focus of sustained International Trade Administration and
U.S. Government efforts, including targeted trade promotion. U.S.-Turkish
trade grew by 34 percent last year, reaching a record high of almost $20
billion. Furthermore, U.S. exports to Turkey rose 38 percent, totaling
$14.6 billion and making Turkey one of the top 25 U.S. export markets.
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