Trade Minister Bolat: Efforts Underway for Turkish Firms to Access European Defense Funds

European Defense Funds and Customs Union Agenda Trade Minister Ömer Bolat attended the traditional iftar program organized by the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD), where he made significant statements regarding Turkey's economic and foreign trade vision.
Bolat stated that efforts to update the Customs Union with the European Union are ongoing and emphasized that diplomatic and economic initiatives have been intensified to ensure Turkish defense industry firms can benefit from European funds.
Bolat noted that Turkey's industrial and defense strength is met with great respect in the international arena.
Economic Growth and Global Achievements Stating that the Turkish economy has reached a size of $1.6 trillion, Minister Bolat pointed out that the per capita national income has increased more than 5.5 times in the last 23 years.
Reminding that the previous year closed with $273.4 billion in goods exports and $122.2 billion in services exports, Bolat announced a new target of $400 billion.
Regarding Turkey's global commercial performance, the Minister stated that the country ranks second in the world in contracting and fourth in tourism, with $285 billion in international investment inflows recorded over the last 23 years.
Inflation Fight and Export Supports Bolat mentioned that a 45-point decrease has been achieved in the fight against inflation over the last 1.5 years, and they anticipate that interest rates will be lowered as economic stability strengthens.
He noted that support for the business world will continue to increase, stating, "As the Ministry, we have prepared 45 billion liras in export support for this year.
We will continue to stand by our SMEs and producers by increasing this figure from last year's 33 billion liras." Cultural Exports and Soft Power In his speech, Minister Bolat also touched upon the global impact of Turkish television series, adding that productions watched by 800 million people worldwide create a strategic soft power in the fields of tourism, gastronomy, and exports.
The Ministry continues its efforts to transform this influence into commercial success.