Date: Sunday, 23 June 2019
Exactly 48 years ago, in 1971, a federation formed by Egypt, Sudan, Syria and Libya was a step that would change the balance in the Middle East. However, for the Atlantic Alliance, which has been striving to shape world economics and politics in its favor since 1830, this development that could undermine its position in the Middle East had to be quickly dissolved. Therefore, by stoking tensions between leaders with big egos and with military coups, they rapidly destroyed the cooperation. They also weakened the political and military cooperation of the Soviets in each of these countries. The expectations and interests of the U.S., Britain and France for the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, the "Levant" region, have persisted for the past 150 years and will not cease in the future. This is the motive behind French President Emmanuel Macron's quest to prove himself.
The U.S.-Russia-England-France conflict has been the indispensable balancing game in this region since the 1960s. All the countries in question would like to manage the land, sea, railway and air transit corridors between Asia, Africa and Europe and the energy resources and energy corridors in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East through their own companies and to freely exploit the region surrounding Turkey. Until the early 2000s, when Turkey stepped in as a major player in the region, global power centers were not bothered by this competition. Over the past 17 years, when Turkey took the initiative to protect all its proprietary rights on land, in the sea and in air corridors in addition to energy resources and corridors, and turned them into economic assets, all regional balances were turned upside down.
Egypt and Turkey are on the list of top 10 countries expected to increase their working population over the next 50 years. Egypt's working population will reach 64 million to 68 million, and Turkey's is expected reach 57 million to 62 million. Both countries will continue to be the intersections and crossroads of the most critical corridors between Asia, Africa and Europe. It is crucial we analyze what happened in Egypt and its journey to establish democratic foundations. It is just as important that the international community realizes how valuable Turkey is to the region and recognizes its efforts of the last 17 years.
Global success for top 100 exporters
Goods and services exported by a country represent the country's worldwide recognition, reputation and its capabilities and success on a global scale. The Top 100 Exporters Report shared with the public on the occasion of the Export Champions Award Ceremony hosted by the Turkey Exporters Assembly shows that total exports by the top 1,000 companies have reached $102.8 billion, a $10.5-billion increase compared to 2019, and their share in total exports went up 61.2 percent.
The share of the top 500 companies that achieved the highest export volume is 52.6%. Researchers have found the ready-made clothing and apparel sector came in first with 154 companies, the chemical and chemical-byproduct sector in second with 106 companies and the automotive sector in third with 102 companies. That the companies in the top 1,000 are operating in 50 different cities is the biggest indicator that exports are spread across Turkey. It is an excellent sign that Turkey has companies in all seven of its regions included in the top 1,000 list and shows that exports are now, beyond being a necessity, important trade activities for the sustainability of our companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The average number of employees of the top 1,000 export champion firms was 781 in 2018. This number was 704 in 2016. Thus, over the course of two years, our 1,000 export champion companies have seen an increase of almost 100,000 in employment to reach 800,000 people. While the top 1,000 exporters yielded a $1.37 added value per kilogram of exported goods, our total exports provided an added value of $1.33 per kilogram, the top 500 $1.40 and finally, the top 10 carried it up to $2.76 per kilogram. The $2.76 added value per kilogram for global trade is almost $1 above the average.
Research points out that the number of companies exporting $1 billion or more rose from 10 to 13 compared to the previous year and the number of companies exporting $100 million or more increased from 145 to 171. It is also very significant that 66.3 percent of the Top 1,000 companies that have achieved the highest export volume consist of producer exporters. We are proud of our exporting companies that deliver bright success for Turkey in the international arena.
