Southeast Anatolia Carpet Exporters Union Chairman Selahattin Kaplan said yesterday that their members recently exported their products to more than 160 countries, adding that they were currently discussing ways to further expand their sales.

In a joint meeting of the representatives from Southeast Anatolia Carpet Exporters Union and the Chamber of Carpet Makers, the members resolved to undertake a major promotion campaign to expand the export potential of the region's products.

Members resolved to select several target countries for promotion campaigns to expand sales. Kaplan said their export sales last year had reached $1.38 billion. "Our export markets were near-abroad in the past. Nowadays, it is shifting toward the U.S., Africa and the Far East. Our exporters are constantly visiting these regions to further improve our sales potential. Saudi Arabia is still our biggest export market but other regions are quickly catching up."

Gaziantep Chamber of Carpet Makers Chairman Mehmet Törer said the sector still faced certain obstacles to grow, adding that problems can be overcome through cooperation. "Every year the carpet sector is introducing innovations. Through R&D, we are constantly expanding the variety of our products. We will display our wares at the Domotex Turkey Machine Carpets Fair to be held in May. We are currently engaged in a promotion campaign to attract relevant institutions and companies. We are expecting it to attract huge interest."