Tuzmen says export figures enters increase tendency in February

''Distressing period in January is over regarding Turkey's exports. As of February the exports are increasing,'' Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen said on Wednesday. Tuzmen, currently in Minsk, Belarus, commented on the exports figures in February recently made public by Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM).''Obviously, it seems that the distressing period in January is over. When figures of January 1st-February 28th are compared with the figures of last year, an increase of 26 percent can be noticed. Increasing exports of automotive industry is one of the main reasons of this trend,'' Tuzmen noted. Stating that foreign trade volume has doubled in the last two years, Tuzmen said. Asked if he shared the concerns about current account deficit, Tuzmen said ''Turkish economy progresses healthily when compared with the past''.Tuzmen said Turkey's biggest problem is the fight against unemployment.Turkey's exports increased 51.19 percent to reach 5.7 billion U.S.dollars in February 2005, as compared with the same month of 2004.Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM) said that exports reached 10.7 billion U.S. dollars in January-February period of the year, an increase of 26.98 percent.       Â