The Place Of Tr 21 Thrace Region In Foreign Trade Of Turkey And Its Development Potential

Thrace is Turkey’s door opened to Europe. It has the advantage of being close to Istanbul, which is a very important metropolis. It also attracts attention with its new industrial centers. This study focuses on export performances of the cities in Thrace in the 1996-2011 period. At this point, the present study evaluated socio-economic development level of the region, the relationship between industrial structure of the region and export performance, prominent sectors in foreign trade of the region and the place of these sectors in foreign trade of Turkey, and possible developments in foreign trade of the region. Based on the determinations concerning these cities, necessary measurements for increasing the export in Turkey were tried to be set. Scientific studies indicate that cities in Thrace region have generally higher socio-economic development levels in comparison to the general situation in Turkey. Examining foreign trade data related to the 1996-2011 period, it is seen that positive data related to development level of Thrace region are not reflected in the foreign trade. While the share of industry sector increases in export, the share of agriculture decreases. Even though foreign trade volume of the region augmented, the share it took from foreign trade, especially from export of Turkey fell in percentage terms. Public and private sector cooperation is indispensable prerequisite for increasing the share the region takes from foreign trade of Turkey.