While Turkish-US ties have recently become tense due to the approval of an Armenian “genocide” resolution by the US House Committee on Foreign Relations last week, Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) President Mehmet Büyükekşi has said that he does not expect passage of the resolution by the US Congress since the US is not likely to risk its strategic partnership with Turkey.
Büyükekşi, speaking to the Anatolia news agency on Sunday, stated that the resolution, which labels the 1915 ethnic clashes between the Armenian and Turkish communities as “genocide,” is nothing new and similar resolutions have been approved three or four times in the past. The others were never been passed by the US Congress, he recalled, arguing that this is a clear sign that the resolution currently in question is not likely to be enacted either. “Because the strategic partnership between Turkey and the US was invigorated both during US President Barack Obama’s visit to Turkey and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to the US, I do not think this relation will be destroyed in any way,” he said. Acknowledging that the approval of the resolution might lead some political problems between the two countries, Büyükekşi noted, however, that the US will likely work to rectify this situation.
Furthermore, he stressed that Turkey’s commercial relations with the US are not at a satisfactory level at present. Turkey’s exports to the US fell by some 30 percent from $4.2 billion in 2008 to $3.1 billion last year, a figure that is truly tiny according to Büyükekşi considering that the US population is over 250 million. “Between 2001 and 2008 Turkey’s exports rose by 350 percent, up from $30 billion to $132 billion, while exports to the US rose from $3.1 billion to only $4.2 billion,” he said.
The currently trade volume between the two countries stands at $15 billion. “Turkey’s foreign trade volume with the US should be lifted up to $30 to 40 billion at least. To achieve this goal, we believe American businessmen should also invest in Turkey.” He stated that a delegation of businessmen had been expected to accompany Foreign Trade Minister Zafer Çağlayan during a visit to the US within the year to boost trade between the two countries. However, it is not know what will happen after the approval of the resolution, he said.
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