Received by Registration Unit 02/23/2018 16:09 PM

Trade BetWeen Turkey And The USA Is BOOMING Under Donald Trump
Mehmet Ali Yalcmdaq 
Chairman of the Turkey-U. S. Business Council 

1:39 AM 0212.1 [2018

While reading news coverage concerning Turkish-American relations, one-would be forgiven fOr
thinking that these relations are all doom and gloom. We?re told that the. two countries agree on
nOthing and tensions are rising higher by the day.

That story is not, however, the whole truth. There is an important area in which relations
betvireen the countries are jibing: commercial and economic ties. Even with all that has
transpired in bilateral politics, during President Donald Trump?s ?rst year in office, the trade
vdlume between the United States and Turkey expanded by nearly 17 percent.

Turkey's exports to the U.S. reached almost $8 billion as of November 2017, which is an increase
of more than 32. percent compared to the same period the previous year. The US.

uses Tu rkey as an' export base to more than 80 countries, while Turkey also acts as a regional
hub for American companies.

in fact, President Trump?s withdrawal from the Trans-Paci?c Partnership (TPP), of

which Turkey Was not a part, heralds a new era in the rke?y trading relationship. President
Trump values bilateral trading partnerships with countrieswhere there are mutually bene?cial
circumstances, rather than large multinational tradeagreements. This strategy has effectively
opened doors for the many trading partners like Turkey to negotiate one-enfone deals.

Further cementing the. commercial ties between the. two countries is the fact-that more than
1,600 Tu rki?sh companies are doing business in the United States. The appetite of Turkish
businesses to invest in the U. 5. cannot be underestimated Thousands of American jobs have
already been created by Turkish companies, and this Is just the tip of the iceberg. With job
creation at the forefront of President Trump? 5 domestic agenda, increasing foreign direct
investments from Turkey should be a priority

While it is evident that the U.S.-Turkey trade partnership is good news for business, the future
relationship between the US. and Turkey can be more than merely transactional. Advancing our
shared economic ties also can help strengthen the less certain military and political pillars, and
eventUally rebuild truSt. Business and investment statistics may come across as dry, yet the
reality is that not only does enhanced trade on fair terms benefit the peoples of both countries,
but the exchange of goods and services has been the driving force to connect and create. ties
between distant societies and nations throughout the history of humankind, Do 
underestimate the power of doing business.

It is imperative that these two nations united by NATO and historical allies against forces
ranging from communism to the war On terror negotiate their differences and return to a
productive relationship. While one cannot pretend that the fissures aren?t real, there coUld be a
real opportunity under'President Trump?s business-friendly administration for relations to

prove.

Received by Registration Unit 02/23/2018 5:16:09 PM

ReCeived by Registration Unit 02/23/2018 5:16:09 PM

Mehmet All" is chairman of the Turkey?U5. Business Council TA iK 

 

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the, author and do not re?ect
the officia! position of The Daily Caller. 

Received by Registration Unit 02/23/2018 5:16:09