UPDATE - Turkey registers all-time high February export figure

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY TRADE MINISTER

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - With a 9.6% hike year-on-year, Turkey's exports registered the all-time high February figure at $16 billion, the country's trade minister said on Tuesday.

The country also saw a 9.8% increase in imports, reaching $19.4 billion during the same period, Ruhsar Pekcan said at a meeting in the capital Ankara where she revealed preliminary foreign trade data for February.

The rise in both figures brought the trade deficit to $3.4 billion last month, she stated.

Turkey made a flying start to 2021 thanks to its strong performance for the second month in a row, she underlined.

The export-to-import coverage ratio was 82.7% this February, Pekcan said.

"In the first two months of this year this, the ratio rose to 82.9% from 79.5 a year ago," she elaborated.

The ministry is focused on expanding Turkey's export markets while enhancing its presence in current ones, she stressed.