Turkey Trade Minister reports economic growth and cultural asset protection

At the “Story of Trade Growing with Culture and Art Forum” in Istanbul, Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat highlighted significant economic and cultural milestones. He reported that over the last five years, customs authorities have prevented the smuggling of 80,150 cultural and natural assets out of the country.

Regarding economic growth, Bolat noted that Turkey's national income has risen from $238 billion to $1.7 trillion, while service exports reached $125.5 billion. He also announced 65 million lira in grant support for 126 projects involving 115 cooperatives across 54 provinces, with a specific focus on helping women's cooperatives access e-commerce and retail markets through a mandatory 1% shelf space quota.

In the construction sector, Bolat stated that Turkish contractors have achieved a total business volume of $570 billion across 139 countries since 1972. He noted that 40% of the sector's international work in 2025 was conducted in Europe and announced that preparations for a bilateral public procurement agreement between Turkey and the European Union are complete, with technical negotiations set to begin soon.