World Bulletin / News Desk
Addressing the Mediterranean Economic Forum in southern Mersin province, Elvan said the Mediterranean Basin comprises 21 countries with over than 500 million people, $8 trillion national income and $3.7 trillion trade volume.
He added the basin's share in the world's trade volume was 19 percent.
Four basic axes -- transportation substructure, value-added production, entrepreneurship and digital transition -- to raise the basin's competitiveness have been specified, he said.
"If we want to be a global power, we need to realize digital transition in the all of production processes," he said.
Turkey has an opportunity to access the market that includes 1.6 billion population and $36 trillion, he said.
He said the country was strengthening its connections, especially with the east, north and west via its new projects such as Mediterranean Coast Road that would provide a link between Mersin and Turkey's resort city Antalya and the Cukurova Regional Airport, which is expected to have 30 million annual passenger capacity.
In Mersin, a port that with 13 million container capacity will be built alongside Turkey's other port projects in the Aegean and the Black Sea, he stated.
