Turkish Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım told an audience in Düsseldorf on Thursday that Türkiye's path toward European Union membership effectively started half a century ago, when the first wave of Turkish migrants settled across Europe.
Speaking at the opening of a dedicated Türkiye desk at consulting firm Deloitte in Düsseldorf, Yıldırım noted that roughly 70,000 Turkish entrepreneurs operating in Germany currently employ some 300,000 German workers. He projected that Turkish business activity would contribute 100 billion euros annually to the German economy by 2010.
Yıldırım also highlighted his ministry's Marmaray project, a rail tunnel beneath the Istanbul Strait scheduled for completion in 2009. Once finished, he said, the crossing between Europe and Asia would take roughly 90 seconds for up to 150,000 daily passengers, and could eventually allow direct rail travel from Europe to China along the historic Silk Road corridor.
North Rhine-Westphalia Transportation Minister Oliver Wittke echoed an optimistic tone, observing that Turkish entrepreneurs in Germany have moved well beyond small retail businesses and now lead substantial companies. Wittke argued that Germany should welcome Türkiye's EU candidacy and called for deeper trade ties to strengthen integration between the two societies.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.