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Turkish business leaders expressed optimism about reaching a $100 billion trade target with the United States following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Thursday visit to the White House citing potential strategic agreements in energy and defense sectors.
The ambitious goal represents a significant increase from current trade levels. Türkiye's foreign trade with the US totaled approximately $33 billion last year, with $16.4 billion in exports and $16.2 billion in imports, according to Mustafa Gultepe, head of the Turkish Exporters' Assembly.
Türkiye currently maintains a trade surplus with the US in 65 product categories, a position business representatives hope to strengthen through increased exports. The US ranks as Türkiye's second-largest export market after Germany.
"We believe that the meeting between President Erdogan and US President Donald Trump will accelerate Türkiye-US relations," said Sekib Avdagic, head of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce. He emphasized that the Turkish business community's efforts will determine how much of the $100 billion target consists of Turkish exports.
The energy and defense agreements discussed during the meeting demonstrate "Türkiye's strategic power and capacity in the global arena," Avdagic noted, adding that trade could reach the target through "a win-win approach and mutually privileged tariffs."
Turkish exporters see particular potential in the US market across several sectors. "Despite the geographical distance, the US market has a great potential for us, especially in the chemical, automotive, ready-to-wear fashion, carpet, and electronics sectors," Gultepe said.
He praised Trump's acknowledgment of Türkiye's production capabilities and product quality, suggesting that a free trade agreement between the two countries could accelerate progress toward the $100 billion goal.
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Business leaders view the meeting as potentially transformative for broader economic relations. Orhan Aydin, chair of the Anatolian Lions Businesspeople Association, described the talks as "befitting Türkiye's reputation" and anticipated that improved diplomatic relations could restore investor confidence and increase foreign capital inflows.
The normalization of Turkish-US relations could have measurable financial benefits, according to Aydin, potentially reducing Türkiye's credit default swap rates and lowering external borrowing costs, which would provide relief for budget policies and interest rates.
Hakan Cinar of the Foreign Trade Leaders Association characterized the Erdogan-Trump meeting as "a turning point" with implications extending beyond bilateral trade to Middle East dynamics and global strategic balance.
"The increase in the bilateral trade volume target of $100 billion shows that the current volume will increase mutually in the coming period, which is a promising development for our business community," Cinar said.
The business community now awaits concrete steps following the high-level discussions, viewing any progress as beneficial to Türkiye's economy given the US market's strategic importance for Turkish exporters.
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