Turkey’s exports to neighbors including Bulgaria, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Greece in the period from January to September increased by 12.6% compared to the same period last year, reaching $18 billion. According to information compiled from the Ministry of Trade and the Turkish Exporters Assembly, Turkey made exports worth $22.7 billion in September. The country’s total exports in the January-September period increased by 3.2% to $193 billion compared to the same period last year. During this period, Turkey exported $18.5 billion to Bulgaria, Iran, Iraq, Georgia, Syria, and Greece, where it shares a land border, up from $15.987 billion in the same period last year, representing a 12.6% increase. The highest amount of exports, $7.777 billion, was made to Iraq during this period, followed by $3.180 billion to Bulgaria, $2.483 billion to Greece, $1.786 billion to Georgia, $1.685 billion to Iran, and $1.092 billion to Syria. Exports increased annually to all neighboring countries except Iran during the 9-month period, where exports decreased by 2.3%. The highest increase during this period was 26.8% to Greece, 15.4% to Iraq, and 11% to Syria.
When examining the distribution of exports to neighbors by sectors, the “chemicals and chemical products” sector ranked first. Turkey exported $2.708 billion worth of goods in this sector to six neighboring countries. This was followed by $2.253 billion in “grains, legumes, oily seeds, and products” and $1.526 billion in “steel”. The sectors with the least exports were “ornamental plants and products” with $15.368 million, “hazelnuts and products” with $38.704 million, and “olives and olive oil” with $44.893 million. Turkey shares land borders with eight neighbors: Iran, Greece, Iraq, Georgia, Bulgaria, Nakhchivan, and Armenia. Since there is no data available for Nakhchivan, it is not included in the calculations, and direct trade by road between Turkey and Armenia does not take place.