Sabah – Representing Türkiye at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Türkiye’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said that investor interest in the country was high, with many large multinationals having added Türkiye to their investment plans.
Following his visit to the British capital London, accompanied by Ministers and prominent Turkish businessmen, where he personally met the executives of BP Group, Zenium Technology Partners and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in an event organized by the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Türkiye (ISPAT), Türkiye’s Prime Minister travelled to Davos to discuss global issues with other world leaders.
Speaking at a press conference following his meeting with the executives of several multinational companies at the sidelines of the forum, Davutoğlu said that all indicators regarding Türkiye were positive and the country’s GDP growth rate was remarkably high when compared with other emerging nations.
“With an expected GDP growth rate of 4 percent, Türkiye is a center of attraction by itself against emerging nations which grow at an average of 1.8 percent. I have observed a keen interest in Türkiye which could lead to billions of dollar’s worth of new investments in the coming months,” Türkiye’s PM said, adding that more investment promotion visits to abroad were planned to build on the existing investor confidence in the country.
Davutoğlu held talks with heavyweights like ICBC, a recent entrant to Türkiye’s banking market from China and Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi, operating in a number of fields in Türkiye, as well as Meridiam Infrastructure, DHL, Maersk, Khazanah Nasional and Sberbank. Organized by the ISPAT, one-to-one meetings between Türkiye’s Prime Minister and the executives of leading multinationals from a number of sectors including logistics, infrastructure, finance and others, gave existing and prospective investors a detailed insight into Türkiye’s economy and business environment from the head of the government.
“Following the election victory of November 1, Türkiye emerged as a safe haven for international investments and executives of foreign companies reiterated this fact. Türkiye’s industry transformation programs and the recently unveiled reform agenda were praised by international investors,” Davutoğlu told reporters.
Türkiye’s industry transformation programs aim at reducing imports and increasing the utilization of high tech in vital sectors while the reform agenda of 2016 includes measures to further improve the country’s business and investment environment.
Stating that some of the countries surrounding Türkiye were in turmoil and the global economy was suffering from economic fluctuations, Davutoğlu said that Türkiye addressed the concerns of global investors perfectly with its political and economic stability.
“Our country is the ideal investment location and conveniently serves as a permanent base for multinationals. It is one of the Afro-Eurasia region’s largest production hubs and has a well-educated labor force. Geographically, Türkiye is situated at the junction of Asia, Europe and the Middle East, providing easy access to a huge market. These are all key motivators for international investors,” he noted.
Davutoğlu also attended a dinner given in his honor by Cüneyt Zapsu, Senior Advisor of the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with the Turkish Airlines and ISPAT.
Leaders of more than 40 countries were present alongside 2,500 other participants from over 100 countries in Davos for the World Economic Forum which convened with the theme "Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution."