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Trade Minister Ömer Bolat and Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır on Tuesday stressed Türkiye’s determination to deepen economic ties with the United States and accelerate its technology-driven development.
Their remarks came in New York on the sidelines of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to attend the U.N. General Assembly, before he is scheduled to meet his American counterpart, Donald Trump, on Thursday.
Bolat said the meeting between the two leaders in Washington would mark a turning point for bilateral relations.
“After this meeting, Türkiye-U.S. relations will grow stronger and gain momentum. We will continue to do our part to ensure this process advances smoothly,” he said.
Bolat and Kacır were speaking at the 3rd Turkish-American Business Forum, organized by the U.S. branch of the Anatolian Lions Businesspeople’s Association (ASKON).
Bolat noted that bilateral trade, which currently stands at nearly $40 billion annually, has the potential to reach the long-standing target of $100 billion, provided that trade barriers are reduced.
On Monday, Ankara announced it had lifted retaliatory tariffs imposed in 2018 on a range of U.S. imports, including passenger cars and fruit. The decision was seen as a gesture of goodwill ahead of the leaders’ meeting.
Cancellations applied to levies imposed in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium imports enacted during Trump’s first term in office.
Since returning to the White House earlier this year, Trump has employed sweeping tariffs in a bid to reshape global trade in Washington’s favor, targeting not only traditional rivals but also long-standing allies.
The U.S. set the tariff rate on Turkish imports at 15% in August. Ankara has not retaliated against the move.
Despite that, Bolat said Türkiye remains one of the countries facing the lowest tariffs in the U.S. market, but stressed the need to address additional levies Washington has imposed on Turkish exports such as steel, aluminum, copper, automobiles and textiles.
“We are working intensively with our American counterparts to resolve these issues in a balanced, win-win manner,” he said, adding that recent steps taken by Türkiye, including Monday’s removal of additional duties, show Ankara’s commitment to smoother trade relations.
Kacır, meanwhile, emphasized that Türkiye is advancing rapidly on its path to becoming a producer of high technology under its “National Technology Initiative.”
“Türkiye continues on its course with political and economic stability. By getting stronger in defense, aviation and critical technologies, we are moving quickly toward becoming a country that develops and manufactures with its own resources,” Kacır said.
He highlighted Türkiye’s role as one of the most significant production hubs in the world, exporting competitively across a vast region from China to Europe.
“We are offering the strongest possible incentives for high-tech investments, while also mobilizing the economic potential of all 81 provinces,” he said.
Both ministers urged Turkish entrepreneurs abroad to play a more active role in Türkiye’s growth story.
“Everyone wants to do business with Türkiye, to strengthen and grow together,” Bolat said, noting that U.S. companies expressed strong interest in new investments during their meetings with Erdoğan.
