An Overview of Turkey’s Trade in Services with the Visegrád Countries (2016-2023)

Since the second half of the twentieth century, service trade has become a significant component of modernizing and globalizing economies. This study analyses the trade in services between Turkey and the Visegrád (V4) countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) for the period 2016-2023. The aim of the study is to evaluate Turkey's trade in services relations with the V4 countries and to determine the position of these countries in the world trade in services. Based on data obtained from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) databases, the service exports and imports between Turkey and the Visegrad countries from 2016 to 2023 have been analyzed. Additionally, the positions of Turkey and the Visegrad countries within global service trade have been evaluated. The findings reveal that trade in services between Turkey and the Visegrád countries has shown a significant growth in the analysed period. Turkey has particularly strong trade ties with Poland, Czechia and Hungary, while relations with Slovakia remain limited. The Visegrád countries, on the other hand, recorded growth in world trade in services, but the increase in imports put pressure on net trade balances. The data suggest that there is a great potential in services trade between Turkey and the Visegrád countries and that this potential should be utilised in future trade strategies.