It will not be difficult to raise the annual business volume of the Turkish construction sector’s overseas operations to some $50 billion in three to five years, Foreign Trade Minister Zafer Çağlayan said on Friday, praising Turkish contractors for their achievements abroad.
Thirty-one Turkish firms were included on international construction sector magazine Engineering News-Record’s 2009 list of the Top 225 International Contractors, which was compiled based on contracting revenue from projects undertaken outside a firm’s home country. Yesterday an award ceremony took place at Swissotel Ankara, with the attendance of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım, Minister of Public Works and Settlement Mehmet Demir and Çağlayan, in order to present plaques to the firms included on the list. Speaking at the ceremony Çağlayan noted that Turkish construction firms have undertaken important projects and completed them successfully. He said construction, consultancy and building materials producing firms are making investments in priority countries.
Turkish construction firms do not operate only as contractors in foreign countries, but some make investments and some assume build operate transfer projects, Eren said, adding that Turkish firms have undertaken important real estate projects in Russia, along with construction of big malls and housing estates. The TMB president also stated that raising the business volume of the construction sector’s overseas operations to $50 billion would not be difficult despite the financial crisis.
The 31 Turkish firms included on the list were given awards by Erdoğan, Çağlayan and Eren. The firms included on the list are ENKA, GAMA, Ant Yapı, Tekfen, Rönesans, TAV, Nurol, Yüksel, STFA, Baytur, Kayı, Yapı Merkezi, Güriş, Yenigün, Polimeks, Kontek, Onur, GAP, Hazinedaroğlu, Summa, Makyol, Beta Tek, Rasen, Cengiz, Çukurova, Doğuş, Alarko, Eser, Atlas Yapı, Mesa and TML. Some other countries that are home to firms included on the list are China with 50 companies, Italy with 26 and the US with 25.