{"id":20771,"date":"2026-09-10T17:58:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T14:58:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kitalogistics.com\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T18:16:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T15:16:29","slug":"turkiye-on-the-new-trade-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kitalogistics.com\/en\/turkiye-on-the-new-trade-map\/","title":{"rendered":"T\u00fcrkiye on the New Trade Map"},"content":{"rendered":"
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T\u00fcrkiye on the New Trade Map<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t
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T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s New Role Amid Crises, Nearshoring and Changing Supply\nChains<\/h2>

We can see that the transformation global trade has undergone over the past few years is\nchanging not only logistics operations, but also the way production and supply chains are\nstructured. The disruptions that began with the pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war,\nsecurity issues along the Red Sea and Suez route, the tensions currently surrounding the\nStrait of Hormuz, and increasing geopolitical risks are forcing companies to reconsider\nsupply models they had previously relied on without question.<\/p>

The impact of this on the logistics sector is quite tangible<\/p>

The lengthening of routes in maritime transportation between the Far East and Europe,\nincreasing transit times, and continued pressure on capacity are driving freight rates\nupward while also weakening the predictability of supply chains. In an environment where\ntransit times on the East-West corridor can increase by 30\u201340%, the need for greater\nvessel and container capacity to carry the same trade volume also directly affects the\nsupply-demand balance.<\/p>

Today, the high costs and long transit times experienced in transportation from China to\nthe Mediterranean are among the most visible consequences of this transformation.\nHowever, in my view, the key question is not how much further freight rates will rise.<\/p>

The real question is:<\/p>

How will companies redesign their supply chains from now on?<\/h2>

Because what we are experiencing represents far more than an ordinary period of rising\nlogistics costs. Companies are no longer looking solely for the lowest-cost supplier or the\nshortest transportation route. The resilience of the supply chain, the availability of\nalternatives, the predictability of delivery times, and how quickly it can be reorganized in\ntimes of crisis are becoming increasingly important.<\/p>

This is also strengthening the trend toward Nearshoring, in other words, relocating\nproduction and sourcing closer to primary markets.<\/p>

This Is Exactly Where the Opportunity for T\u00fcrkiye Begins<\/p>

When sourcing from the Far East takes longer and costs more for a European manufacturer\ntoday, alternatives in closer geographies naturally come back into consideration.<\/p>

T\u00fcrkiye has significant advantages in this regard.<\/p>

Our geographical proximity to the European market, strong manufacturing infrastructure,\nadvanced road transportation capacity, ports, air cargo infrastructure, and developing\nrailway connections are important factors that could transform T\u00fcrkiye from merely a\ntransit point between East and West into a regional supply and distribution hub.<\/p>

However, we need to be realistic here. T\u00fcrkiye has not automatically transformed this\nopportunity into a competitive advantag<\/p>

Particularly in recent years, increases in production costs, especially labor costs,\nfinancing conditions, and exchange-rate fluctuations can limit T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s cost advantage in\ncertain areas of manufacturing. Geographical proximity to Europe is an important\nadvantage; however, we should not forget that global companies do not base their\ninvestment and sourcing decisions solely on distance.<\/p>

For a manufacturer to choose T\u00fcrkiye, the total supply chain cost must be competitive with\nalternatives in the Far East.<\/p>

Therefore, it would not be accurate to view the opportunity ahead of T\u00fcrkiye solely through\nthe lens of \u201cgeographical advantage.\u201d The real issue is whether we can support our\ngeographical proximity with cost competitiveness, speed, predictability, quality, and\nlogistics flexibility.<\/p>

To the extent that we can achieve this, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s attractiveness for Nearshoring can\nbecome sustainable.<\/p>

For this reason, I also believe that it is no longer sufficient to describe T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s logistics\nposition simply through the concept of a \u201cbridge.\u201d<\/p>

The opportunity ahead of T\u00fcrkiye is not merely to become a country through which goods\npass, but to become a hub where goods are produced, stored, consolidated, and\ndistributed to Europe.<\/strong><\/p>

However, to achieve this, we must first ensure that global companies can receive a\nconvincing answer to the following question:<\/p>

Does moving closer to T\u00fcrkiye genuinely create a more resilient and competitive\nsupply chain for me?<\/h2>

I believe this will be the critical question in the period ahead<\/p>

Indeed, the fact that some Middle Eastern cargo is being transported by road due to the\ncurrent challenges in maritime transportation, that ports such as Iskenderun and Mersin\nare gaining greater importance as alternative transit points, and that railway options along\nthe Middle Corridor are increasingly being considered demonstrates how quickly the\nlogistics system can adapt.<\/p>

Proximity to Europe Should Not Be Merely Geographical<\/h2>

T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s advantage in terms of Nearshoring does not stem solely from geography.

Its 30-year Customs Union relationship with the European Union has already made T\u00fcrkiye\nan important part of European value chains. The fact that total trade volume between\nT\u00fcrkiye and the EU reached USD 233 billion in 2025 clearly demonstrates the scale of this\neconomic integration.<\/p>

Today, as global companies diversify their supply chains, rather than creating entirely new\nmanufacturing geographies from scratch, they seek to move toward regions where\nestablished industrial and commercial ecosystems are already strong. T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s existing\neconomic integration with Europe represents an important advantage in this respect.<\/p>

However, it is also clear that we should not rely solely on our geography if this advantage is\nto be transformed into lasting competitiveness.<\/p>

Stronger railway connections, improvements in port capacity and connectivity, faster\nborder crossings, greater digitalization of customs procedures, lower logistics costs, and\ndeeper commercial integration with Europe in a manner aligned with today\u2019s economic\nrealities are all necessary.<\/p>

I believe the steps taken in this area recently are important. The agreement reached\nbetween the EU and T\u00fcrkiye in July on the mutual recognition of Authorized Economic\nOperator statuses represents tangible progress in terms of customs cooperation and\nsupply chain security.<\/p>

These developments may not create a major transformation on their own. However, we\nshould not forget that competitive advantage in the trade system of the future will be built\nthrough the cumulative impact of such connections.<\/p>

Human Mobility Is Also Part of the Supply Chain<\/h2>

Nearshoring should not be viewed solely as bringing factories geographically closer\ntogether.<\/p>

Bringing production centers closer also requires engineers, managers, technicians, sales\nteams, logistics professionals, and business partners to be able to move more quickly.<\/p>

For this reason, the issue of visa liberalization in T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s relations with Europe should\nalso be considered within a broader framework in terms of our economic competitiveness.<\/p>

T\u00fcrkiye has fulfilled 66 of the 72 criteria under the Visa Liberalisation Roadmap; the\nremaining six criteria focus on the implementation of the readmission agreement,\nprotection of personal data, operational cooperation with Europol, judicial cooperation,\nGRECO recommendations, and counter-terrorism legislation.<\/p>

Completing these criteria will mean more than simply facilitating travel.<\/p>

From the perspective of a company trading with Europe, easier and more predictable\nhuman mobility can directly affect many layers of the economic relationship, from\nmeetings with new customers and the establishment of manufacturing facilities to\nenabling technical teams to reach sites and developing business partnerships.<\/p>

Therefore, visa liberalization should be viewed not only from the perspective of tourism or\nindividual travel, but also as an economic facilitator that can strengthen T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s\nintegration into European value chains.<\/p>

Reducing barriers to mobility in our economic and commercial relations with Europe could\nalso strengthen the advantages T\u00fcrkiye offers in terms of Nearshoring.<\/p>

The Opportunity Exists. But Can We Make It Last?<\/h2>

Every disruption occurring in global supply chains today may be creating an opportunity for\nT\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>

However, there is an important difference between an opportunity and a lasting\ncompetitive advantage.<\/p>

An increase in cargo moving through T\u00fcrkiye due to a crisis may provide a temporary\nadvantage. The real success will be ensuring that companies continue to choose T\u00fcrkiye\neven after the crisis has ended.<\/p>

Moreover, this competition is not taking place solely between T\u00fcrkiye and the Far East. At a\ntime when production and supply chains are being repositioned, T\u00fcrkiye is also competing\nwith Eastern Europe, North Africa, and other nearby regions.<\/p>

Therefore, what T\u00fcrkiye needs to do is not merely benefit from the cost differentials\ncreated by crises, but strengthen its own structural competitiveness.<\/strong><\/p>

Achieving this requires a holistic approach spanning logistics infrastructure, digitalization,\ncustoms processes, railway investments, manufacturing capacity, and qualified human\nresources.<\/p>

Because today, simply saying \u201cT\u00fcrkiye is close to Europe\u201d is not enough for a company to\nbring its supply chain closer to T\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>

The company must also be able to receive positive answers to the following questions:<\/p>

How quickly can I deliver my product to Europe?<\/strong><\/p>

How predictable is that timeframe?<\/strong><\/p>

What will my total supply chain cost be?<\/strong><\/p>

Do I have alternative transportation options?<\/strong><\/p>

How fast are my customs procedures?
<\/strong><\/p>

How resilient is my supply chain in the face of a crisis?<\/strong><\/p>

And perhaps most importantly:<\/p>

Can I view T\u00fcrkiye as a reliable and competitive supply partner not only for today, but\nfor the next ten years?<\/h2>

I believe T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s position on the new trade map will be shaped by the answers we provide\nto these questions.<\/p>

In the new era of global trade, companies no longer want to remain dependent on a single\ncountry, a single supplier, or a single logistics corridor. They are seeking to build supply\nchains that are closer, more flexible, and more secure.<\/p>

T\u00fcrkiye has a significant opportunity ahead of it, created precisely by this transformation.<\/p>

However, to capitalize on this opportunity, rather than waiting for crises to redirect\nbusiness towardT\u00fcrkiye, we must create today the conditions that will make T\u00fcrkiye a\npreferred hub.<\/strong><\/p>

Perhaps the question we need to ask in the period ahead is no longer: \u201cCan T\u00fcrkiye become a logistics bridge?\u201d But rather:<\/p>

\u201cHow indispensable a hub can T\u00fcrkiye become within the new supply chains of global\ncompanies?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>

I believe this is exactly where T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s real story on the new trade map begins<\/p>

With Love and Respect,
Emre Eldener
Vice Chairman of the Board\nK\u0131ta Logistics<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yeni Ticaret Haritas\u0131nda T\u00fcrkiye Krizler, Nearshoring ve de\u011fi\u015fen tedarik zincirlerinde T\u00fcrkiye\u2019nin Yeni Rol\u00fc K\u00fcresel ticaretin son birka\u00e7 y\u0131lda ge\u00e7irdi\u011fi d\u00f6n\u00fc\u015f\u00fcm\u00fcn art\u0131k yaln\u0131zca […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":20777,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kita","category-slider"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kitalogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kitalogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kitalogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kitalogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kitalogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20771"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.kitalogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20784,"href":"https:\/\/www.kitalogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20771\/revisions\/20784"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kitalogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kitalogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kitalogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kitalogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}