At the 7th SteelOrbis Turkish Steel Market Conference, held in Istanbul on November 16 with the sponsorship of Turkish integrated steelmaker Erdemir,
MMK Metalurji sales director Mehmet Cakmur said that the company is targeting the Middle East for its export activity.
Mr. Cakmur stated that China has started to pose a threat again, adding that as a result it is difficult for a producer from the region where MMK Metalurjji is located in southern Turkey to cross to the other side of the Suez Canal. When political stability would be restored in the Middle East, Mr. Cakmur said, new possibilities would be seen in the region, emphasizing that he considered 2012 to be a year of preparation for
MMK in terms of exports.
Mr. Cakmur continued his speech by remarking the necessity of developing activity in export markets via logistic investments in neighboring markets. He also highlighted the importance of governmental support for increasing logistic possibilites. He took Iraq as an example of a country to which
Turkey finds it difficult to export because of transport costs. Cakmur said that the central and southern regions of Iraq could be export destinations with lower transport costs for
Turkey if an effective railway network existed in Iraq.