The Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) held a webinar with the Uruguay Chamber of Commerce and Services within the scope of its Trade and Diplomacy Talks programme. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions was also signed during the programme.
The programme, held under the moderation of Mr. Zeki Güvercin, Chairman of the MÜSİAD Diplomatic Relations Committee, was attended by the Consul General of Uruguay in İstanbul, Diego Pérez-Gomar, and the President of the Uruguay Chamber of Commerce and Services, Julio Cesar Lestido.
Speaking about Uruguay's economy at the programme, Diego Pérez-Gomar stated that the Uruguayan economy, which stood at approximately USD 58.0 billion according to 2019 World Bank data, grew by %0.2 in 2019 compared with the previous year.
Noting that, according to IMF forecasts for 2020, the Uruguayan economy would contract by %3, Gomar stated that growth of %5 is expected in 2021.
80 Percent of the Country Is Suitable for Agriculture and Livestock Farming
Giving information on Uruguay's most important production and export resources, Gomar spoke as follows:
“It is one of the most economically and politically balanced countries in South America. Led by banking and tourism, the service sector has a larger share in the economy compared with other countries of the region. In the field of agricultural products, the country mainly produces rice, barley and wheat, maize and meat products. Meat products, rice, leather products, wool, fish and dairy products make up a significant part of exports. %80 of the total surface area of our country, which possesses rich arable land, is suitable for agriculture and livestock farming.”
Julio Cesar Lestido, for his part, gave information in his assessment about the Uruguay Chamber of Commerce and Services, of which he is currently the president. Lestido said: “The Uruguay Chamber of Commerce and Services has represented the private business sector since 1867. The Chamber is a meeting point for businessmen from a wide variety of lines. The Chamber currently has more than 15,000 members and more than 120 unions which cover the entire economy of the country and encompass different lines of the national economy.”
Our Foreign Trade Deficit Is Growing Against Türkiye
Speaking last at the programme, Zeki Güvercin, Chairman of the MÜSİAD Diplomatic Relations Committee, made assessments regarding the trade potential and volume between Türkiye and Uruguay. Güvercin said: “In our foreign trade with Uruguay, with the exception of 2014, a deficit against Türkiye is constantly recorded. In 2019, with Türkiye's imports from Uruguay falling sharply compared with the previous year (from USD 497 million to USD 299 million), the foreign trade deficit fell to USD 341 million. In this period Türkiye's exports from Uruguay also fell to the level of USD 43 million, a loss of USD 2 million compared with the previous year. In imports made from Uruguay, agricultural and livestock products such as live animals, cellulose, wool, rice, animal fats, dairy products, furs and cocoa rank first. The main items of our exports to Uruguay, on the other hand, are iron and steel, passenger vehicles, washing machines, electric heaters, tobacco, cement and trucks and vans.
At the end of the programme, a cooperation protocol (MoU) was signed between MÜSİAD and the Uruguay Chamber of Commerce and Services.