It was emphasized that China's "One Belt, One Road" plan will harm Turkey

Nail Orpak, the President of the Foreign Economic Relations Board, stated that China spent 50-60 billion dollars on the Belt and Road Project to reach the European market quickly, reduced the cargo transportation that took 1.5 months by sea to 11 days by land and targeted 7-9 days.
Answering questions from reporters, Olpak criticized those who supported China's Belt and Road Project and said, “A truck that sets off from Gaziantep, one of our good exporting provinces, reaches Amsterdam in 3-4 days, but when China reaches Amsterdam in 8 days, our biggest advantage will be gone. Therefore, let's know what we are applauding while applauding China's Belt and Road Project.”
“WE WILL LOSE OUR LARGEST EXPORT MARKET”
Nail Olpak emphasized that China's Belt and Road Project will cause great harm to Turkey's economic interests and exports. Olpak said, “When the Belt and Road Project is fully operational, we will face a serious loss in Europe, our largest export market.”
Also touching on Turkey’s application to become a member of BRICS, Foreign Economic Relations Board President Nail Orpak stated that he sees this issue as a playground for politics rather than economy and that Turkey has opened a new card in its relations with Europe.
The Belt and Road Project is a project of the People’s Republic of China that aims to connect China to Europe and Africa via land and sea routes in order to increase trade and promote economic growth. The project was created in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping, inspired by the Silk Road, which was founded 2000 years ago and connects China to the Mediterranean.
WHAT IS THE FOREIGN ECONOMIC RELATIONS BOARD?
The Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) is a commercial diplomacy organization that has been operating since 1985. It operates with 152 business councils around the world to develop Turkey's economic and commercial relations and increase trade..