Turkish contractors will continue their goal of expanding into new markets in 2026 while preserving traditional markets, according to a head of the top sector association on Thursday.
At the same time, investments, especially in Portugal, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria, are being closely monitored, said Erdal Eren, president of the Turkish Contractors Association (TMB).
Eren evaluated the developments in the Turkish construction sector this year and shared his expectations for the coming year in an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA).
Emphasizing that the sector continued to grow both domestically and internationally in 2025 despite challenging global conditions and uncertainty, he said: "Our sector has preserved its position in world rankings and increased its effectiveness in international markets, undertaking 135 new projects worth $9.4 billion in the first 10 months of the year."
"Thus, the total value of projects undertaken since 1972 has reached $546.8 billion," he added.
Moreover, Eren suggested that this success was once again confirmed by maintaining the second place, just after China, with 45 companies on the "World’s Top 250 International Contractors List" prepared by the construction industry magazine ENR.
He also highlighted that Romania and Iraq have been prominent markets for the sector this year.
"Domestically, our sector has demonstrated growth above the general economy, thanks to the reconstruction of earthquake-affected areas and urban transformation projects," he furthered.
"The sector has sustained its growth momentum for 11 consecutive quarters, with a rate of 10.9% in the second quarter. However, since the growth largely depends on public investments, the weak private sector demand and high-interest housing loans require a cautious approach for sustainability," he added.
Eren also mentioned that special importance was given this year to international cooperation to increase the sector's effectiveness in overseas projects and to facilitate access to financing.
He shared that throughout the year, they met with financial institutions and businesspeople from Qatar, Finland, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Egypt, and have organized events with Türk Eximbank and Africa Finance Corporation.
He said that they evaluated opportunities for direct loans, guarantees and insurance cooperation for projects in these countries, as well as in third countries.
Like this, he said that Turkish firms have taken concrete steps to increase their access to new projects in international markets and boost their competitiveness through financing opportunities from other countries. He added that they made high-level contacts during visits to Bangladesh, Finland, Ukraine, Libya, Iraq, Uzbekistan and Portugal, headed by Trade Minister Ömer Bolat.
During these visits, they focused on on-site and first-hand information regarding new projects, financing, cooperation agreements and resolving existing disputes, he said. Similarly, he informed that the Türkiye-Libya Joint Working Group, which held two meetings this year, has made significant strides in resolving ongoing issues since 2011.
Furthermore, Eren pointed out that in 2026, the goal will continue to be opening up to new markets while preserving traditional ones.
"In this context, the infrastructure and superstructure investments planned in Portugal over the next five years, worth 70 billion-100 billion euros, present major opportunities for Turkish contractors," he maintained.
"Iraq’s Development Road and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 projects remain important. The reconstruction of Syria is closely followed by our sector, with the understanding that the main priority is achieving peace and stability in the country."
Additionally, he stated that a key topic next year will be the "Construction Summit Türkiye (CST) 2026" event, which will be held for the first time in Ankara on June 17-18, 2026.
Under the leadership of TMB, this international summit themed "Construction Technologies and Innovative Building Materials" will bring together all stakeholders in the sector, Eren said.
"Sector representatives from all over the world, international organizations, academics, policymakers and public authorities will discuss on this platform all the issues that will shape the future of the construction sector," he noted.
"This summit, while contributing to the strengthening of our sector at the national and international level, will be a milestone in our future vision. As our sector has done up to now, it will continue to provide economic contributions and reputation to our country with resolute steps. Thanks to the dedicated work of our members and stakeholders, we are fully confident that we will achieve significant progress in a wide range from digitalization to sustainability, and from financing to innovation," he concluded.
