Minister of Treasury and Finance Şimşek announced their expectation for the sustainable current balance to continue this year. Minister Şimşek stated, “We are continuing to increase our support for production and exports.” Minister Mehmet Şimşek evaluated the foreign trade data. In a post on his social media account, Minister Şimşek used the following statements: “In February, exports declined by 1.5% annually due to exchange rate effects, fewer working days, and adverse weather conditions, while the increase in the first two months reached 2.1%. In February, while imports increased by 3.8% annually, imports excluding gold and energy decreased by 3.1%. Thus, the foreign trade balance excluding gold and energy improved. With increasing uncertainties in global trade, protectionist policies, the weak growth outlook of the EU, natural gas prices, and the impact of the recovery in our economic activity, we expect an increase in the foreign trade deficit this year, but we anticipate the continuation of the sustainable current balance. We are continuing to increase our support to limit the effects of current conditions on production and exports.”