The Istanbul-based Caspian Strategy Institute (HASEN) think-tank said Tuesday that regional challenges would force Turkish businesses to seek new markets in the Asia-Pacific region in 2016. "The world's economic center of gravity has been shifting to the Asia-Pacific region. The recent Russia-Turkey crisis and the removal of sanctions from Iran, integrating it with the West, will force Turkey to expand in the Asia-Pacific region in 2016," HASEN General Secretary Haldun Yavaş said at a press conference in Istanbul. 
Caspian countries are gaining importance as a transit corridor in the region, Yavaş said.The Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway project, a regional rail link project to directly connect Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, would enable Turkey to increase its footprint in the Asia-Pacific region when it is completed. Yavaş said that a 4,000 kilometer railway from Baku to China has been completed. Project officials have said that the railway would be completed in 2016. "The Azerbaijani and Georgian parts of the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway have also been completed, but the 76 kilometer part in Turkey has not been finished yet. The completion of the project in time is vital for Turkey not to lose ground to other countries," Yavaş added.Considering the impact on the Turkish economy and energy supply from Russian sanctions, Ruchan Kaya, politics and strategy coordinator for HASEN, said that it would not have significant short-term effects. "However, Turkey may face a bigger risk in terms of energy supply security in the coming years if it does not initiate new projects. Turkey should focus more on Caspian energy sources and improve trade and energy cooperation in the region," Kaya added. 
Tension between Moscow and Ankara has been high since a Turkish F-16 shot down a Russian fighter jet on Nov. 24 near the Turkish-Syrian border after it violated the country's airspace despite repeated warnings. Russia imposed a series of economic sanctions after the event, including restrictions on Turkish exports and limits on the activity of Turkish companies operating in Russia.Trade with Georgia to gain momentum with e-customsThe Electronic Articulated Truck Project was signed to reduce the transportation and transaction costs between Turkey and Georgia. Following the signing of the project, Customs and Trade Minister Bülent Tüfenkci pointed to the World Customs Association's theme of this year, "digital customs," and emphasized the growing importance of the electronic transactions in trade. Tüfenkci stressed the importance of the agreement and said that the system facilitates transportation by eliminating formalities, thereby reducing transportation costs and speeding up commercial transactions. He added that Turkey has been conducting trade with more than 60,000 articulated trucks and, considering the benefits, making the trade carried out by these vehicles electronic is crucial. According to data from the Turkish Exporters' Assembly, Georgia is Turkey's 35th largest trade partner, importing $1.1 billion of goods from Turkey in 2015. This is expected to be higher with the implementation of the Electronic Articulated Truck Project.