As reaffirmed at the last NATO summit, Turkey is one of the most critical actors in the global economic-political system.
It is a fact that many people, from academia to the media, from politics to the economy, agree that Turkey can create permanent solutions in the short, medium and long term to the constantly accumulating regional and global problems with its embracing, inclusive and solution-oriented skills that it has demonstrated all over the world.
Turkey's opportunities and capabilities in humanitarian diplomacy will also help to achieve this goal.
Particularly, at a time when interpretations of the second Cold War period by many international experts are increasing, Turkey's presence is indispensable for the protection of the free world for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Baltic, the Caucasus and the Eastern Mediterranean.
What, then, might be the topics critical to the construction of the free world? The top priority is the total fight against terrorism.
Turkey is the only country that is engaged in such an extensive field struggle with the world's most dangerous terrorist organizations. It is the only country that creates the strongest awareness on a global scale, on all international platforms, in the name of the fight against terrorism.
The second pillar is Turkey's entrepreneurial and humanitarian foreign policy.
Turkey is one of the rare countries that shows the same sensitivity to all regional and global injustices, double standards and human tragedies. Building a “free world” requires a sincere and convincing approach to regional and global issues. Turkey is a unique country in this regard.
The projects that Turkey carried out with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay), the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) and Maarif Foundation, critically contribute to the country's soft power and reputation.
For this reason, the country's ability to provide humanitarian aid, establish hospitals and schools all over the world has reached a legendary status.
This situation puts Turkey in the position of the most effective actor in the solution of the most critical regional issues, based on the fact that it is the only country whose sincerity can be trusted. This fundamental truth, in many aspects, has once again manifested itself in many topics at the last NATO Summit.
Building a free world also requires inclusive development. Despite all the damage caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic in the world economy and trade, Turkey has managed to break new records of positive growth and continues to be among the five positively differentiated countries on a global scale.
With its successful transformation towards real market economy, the country stands out as an exemplary success to a wide geography of developing countries.
It is a country that carries out comprehensive projects with first and second generation neighboring countries in the name of inclusive development for Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans. In the coming period, we will observe together that Turkey's indispensable role in the construction of the free world will be further consolidated.
We also observe that the G-7 and G-20 group countries, which are the leading economies of the world, have come to an agreement on the main topics regarding the new competitive conditions of the world economy after the global pandemic, in a period where the vaccination process against COVID-19 is gaining momentum.
In order to make global production and exports "sustainable" in the world economy after the global pandemic, the following basic principles come to the fore:
Turkey will need to be assertive in all four areas mentioned above in order to obtain more added value per kilogram from our high-quality goods and services in global trade.
The Global Trade Cost Index of the World Trade Organization (WTO) found that between 2000 and 2018 the global trade costs of 43 leading countries, including Turkey, decreased by 15% in the main sectors of agriculture, manufacturing industry and services and 31 sub-sectors.
The manufacturing industry experienced the most serious cost reduction, with agriculture in second place. The sector that trades with the highest cost is the service sector.
Global trade costs are high for women entrepreneurs, small and mediums enterprises (SMEs) and firms employing unskilled workers. Trade barriers and non-tariff barriers that countries impose on each other account for at least 14% of global trade costs. This rate rises to 30% for low-income countries. It seems that the upcoming period will be difficult for the restructuring of global trade.
