Davies Turner welcomes plans for broader UK-Turkey FTA

Leading UK logistics company welcomes plans for broader UK-Turkey FTA

As the market leader in overland trailer services between Turkey and the UK, Davies Turner welcomes today’s news that the UK and Turkey have committed to negotiate an new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) designed to deepen the trade relationship between the two countries, and encompass the services sector.

Tariff-free arrangements like the one signed in 2020, which was rolled over from when the UK left the European Union covering goods but not areas such as services, digital and data, support the trading relationship between the UK and Turkey, and bring benefits to UK importers and exporters, as well as the freight forwarding and logistics companies that manage their supply chains.

That’s the opinion of Alan WIlliams, company director, who adds that a new broader deal could boost trade and help UK companies maximise opportunities in this area.

As a major facilitator of trade between the two countries, Davies Turner operates daily two-way overland and multimodal trailer services between the UK and Turkey in a long-standing partnership with Istanbul-based Ekol Logistic, one of the country’s largest freight and warehousing operators.

Williams adds: “There is no doubt that the tariff-free trading agreement signed in 2020, along with the problems in long distance supply chains, which have increasingly prompted traders to turn to Turkey as an alternative source of supply to countries in Asia, has has a major impact on the uptick in trading volumes between the two countries over the last two years.

“We welcome the news as an enhanced Free Trade Agreement with Turkey that includes the services and digital sector should open up even more trade and investment opportunities, and assist with the development of strong bilateral relations. Moves that help develop a frictionless trade environment will bring benefits to companies like ours that provide freight and logistics services, which underpin that trade.”