Investment Office and the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) co-hosted the 2nd Türkiye - Saudi Arabia Investment and Business Forum in Istanbul.
With the attendance of the Turkish Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Saudi Arabian Minister of Investment Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, Saudi Arabian Minister of Tourism Ahmed bin Aqil Al-Khateeb, Investment Office President A. Burak Dağlıoğlu and DEIK President Nail Olpak, the forum brought government officials and top executives from the two countries' business communities together with more than 1,000 Saudi and Turkish companies.
During his opening speech, Minister Şimşek emphasized Türkiye's diversified economy and its natural synergy with Saudi Arabia in tourism, infrastructure, and defense. Şimşek highlighted Türkiye's impressive tourism sector growth that saw the country rise in global tourism rankings to 4th place by 2022.
Highlighting the increasing global awareness of environmental issues and sustainable tourism, Minister Ersoy also stated that Türkiye partnered with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) to launch a three-phase Sustainable Tourism Certificate Program.
In his remarks during the event, Minister Al-Falih said the forum provides strong economic opportunities between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, adding, “Saudi Arabia will continue to cooperate with Türkiye to accomplish the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and national investment strategies."
Furthermore, Minister Al-Khateeb reiterated that tourism is a top priority for both Türkiye and Saudi Arabia and that the Saudi government is committed to facilitating tourism through continued investments in mobility infrastructure, including airport, roads, and railways.
Investment Office President Dağlıoğlu highlighted the strengthening relationship between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, noting a significant increase in bilateral trade volume of over 10 percent last year.