ISLAMABAD: Turkey needs to focus on exporting to Asia, the world's largest and most dynamic market, to reduce its trade deficit and increase growth, the United Nation's development representative said.

Kamal Malhotra, the UN Development Program's resident representative in Ankara, said Turkey needed to turn its attention east instead of concentrating on trade with Europe, Anadolu news agency reported.

Malhotra's remarks came after Turkey announced 2.1 percent growth in the second quarter of 2014, a fall on the first quarter's rate of 4.3 percent.

According to Malhotra, Turkey relies heavily on its markets in Europe and the Middle East.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2014