Minister: Commercial attachés moving to trade centers to better support exporters

The government had decided a while ago to open trade centers in the markets with high potential to operate as a base for Turkish exporters. The exporting companies will be able to take advantage of these centers to represent them abroad, follow their activities and maintain permanent relations with their customers in these markets.

Speaking to Today’s Zaman last week, Çağlayan said the existing trade attachés and counselors in the embassies and consulates will start working in the trade centers and that there will be new additions to the staff to establish stronger teams to better help Turkish exporters.

The minister said adequate funds to cover this radical shift in Turkey’s foreign trade strategy are currently at his disposal but added that he expected the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), exporters unions and all other relevant trade bodies to share the extra financial burden of implementing the plan. A joint account of the local exporters’ unions, the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TİM) and the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat (DTM), known as the Exports Fund, will be used to finance the project, the minister said.

Deductions are made from exporters’ transactions and saved in the Exports Fund for use in projects that facilitate exporters’ businesses in foreign markets.

Strategic markets first

Çağlayan said the number of trade centers, which is currently four, will steadily increase in the coming years considering target markets in accordance with Turkey’s strategy of achieving $500 billion in export revenues by 2023, the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic. “This process may be likened to the privatization of our representation bureaus abroad. The financing will not be met by the state but by the exporters’ joint account. We haven’t yet received a response to our call to the private sector to participate in this initiative, but we don’t have any time to lose. So we have rolled up our sleeves,” he said.

A draft bill envisaging an increase in the number of commercial counselors and attachés working in the country’s embassies and consulates from 112 to 250 received Parliament’s approval last week, the minister said, adding that what is more important than increasing the number of professional civil servants abroad is a change in their mentality. “They will no longer work as public officials but will strive to work as private sector employees,” Çağlayan stated. However, these officials are not being completely stripped of their diplomatic duties, the minister underlined. They will still have responsibilities in the diplomatic missions but will spend most of their times serving Turkish exporters.

What the minister means by the private sector mentality is that the attachés will be given certain annual targets. Their success or failure in reaching their targets will be recorded in their official registries, the records that are used in the promotion of civil servants. If they manage to accomplish their targets, their performance will be rewarded.

Additionally, the counselors and attachés who are currently serving in a country for three years at most will stay in their duty countries for five years to avoid the adverse effects of too-frequent rotations. The Ministry of Foreign Trade will have the right to extend this term if it deems necessary, depending on the success or failure of public officials.

The ministry will also recruit supporting staff to the trade centers, particularly from among local applicants where possible. An applicant is required to be fluent in two languages -- Turkish and the native language of the country in which the trade center is located.

In its 2023 projection, Turkey is looking to become one of the 10 largest economies in the world, largely depending on a rise in its sales abroad. In this quest, it plans to open 1,000 trade centers around the world.