March 2018 saw ISPAT engage with potential investors in France. ISPAT hosted a “Türkiye: Increasing Investment Opportunities Amid Geopolitical Turbulences” conference together with GIDE law firm in Paris on March 15.
ISPAT President Arda Ermut was a keynote speaker at the conference, and during his address Ermut said that relations between France and Türkiye have blossomed over the past 15 years. He added that today there are around 1,500 companies operating with French capital in Türkiye, including BNP Paribas, Total, AXA, Sanofi, Renault, Peugeot, Valeo, Schneider Electric, Sephora, Alstom, Carrefour, Danone, Lafarge, and L’Oreal among others. Türkiye’s Ambassador to Paris İsmail Hakkı Musa was also a panelist at the “Invest in Türkiye” session at the conference and talked about the Turkish economy, the opportunities it offers, and trade, cultural and political relations between Türkiye and France.
Within the scope of his visit to France, ISPAT President Ermut was also a guest on a live broadcast on French 24 Heures Chrono de l’international channel. Speaking about Türkiye’s economic outlook and prospective sectors of interest for French companies, Ermut explained ISPAT’s role in facilitating FDI and in expanding ties between Türkiye and France.
The ISPAT delegation also attended the MIPIM fair in Cannes, which was held on March 13-16. Istanbul was named "Top Southern European City in Business Friendliness" by fDiMagazine at the fair, and ISPAT Vice President Mustafa Rumeli received the award on behalf of Türkiye. At the Istanbul pavilion of MIPIM, ISPAT also talked to attendees about the advantages of Türkiye, such as access to multiple markets with a combined population of 1.6 billion, GDP of USD 23.5 trillion, and over USD 7.1 billion trade, within a 4-hour flight radius.
Being the 6th largest supplier to Türkiye, France is a country where ISPAT has had a permanent presence since 2007.