Economy minister says Turkey has undertaken projects worth 202.6 bln USD in foreign countries

ANKARA (A.A) - July 25, 2011 - Turkey's economy minister said on Monday that Turkey had undertaken contracting projects worth 202.6 billion USD in foreign countries since the contracting sector opened abroad.
Zafer Caglayan said Turkish contractors had fulfilled 6,223 projects in 90 countries so far.
"251 projects are under way in 35 countries," Caglayan said during his meeting with members of a Turkish construction employers' union, in Ankara.
Caglayan said the Russian Federation topped the countries where Turkish contractors were making the highest business with 2.3 billion USD.
Iraq came the second with 2.2 billion USD, and Turkmenistan the third with 1.8 billion USD, Caglayan said. 
Caglayan said Turkey had recently undertaken a project worth 980 million USD to construct 13,067 dwellings in Venezuela. 
The economy minister referred to developments in Libya, and said Turkish contractors would visit Benghazi soon.
Caglayan said Turkey was also working on new markets, and said contractors were fulfilling 37 billion USD of projects in North Africa.
The minister said Turkish contractors would continue to undertake projects in India, Saudi Arabia and Turkic Republics; adding that they would visit South Korea, the United States and Japan in August, and Venezuela, China, Indonesia, Singapore and Saudi Arabia in September.