Ankara closed its border with Iran in February to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. Trade through the Iraqi-Turkish border via trucks was also halted for a limited time, but was partly resumed via a buffer zone established for truck drivers to send goods without entering each country.
In an interview with state broadcaster TRT Haber, Pekcan said she believed the worst impact from COVID-19 on trade was over and that she expected a major recovery in June.
In May, Turkey’s exports slid 41 percent year-on-year to $9.43 billion and imports fell 28 percent to $12.79 billion, according to trade ministry data that excludes imports to customs warehouses.
Turkey's trade deficit for May widened by 79 percent year-on-year to $3.36 billion.
Pekcan said that a customs union agreement with the European Union should be updated in order to help improve trade.
Turkey is working on increasing the volume of its currency swap agreement with China, and is also conducting talks with South Korea, India, Japan, and Malaysia on conducting trade in local currencies, Pekcan said.
Reporter's code: 50101