Industry and Trade Minister Ali Coskun told an Istanbul investment conference Wednesday that the government would stick strictly to its economic program despite a presidential and parliamentary election year in 2007, assuring business leaders they could invest with confidence.
Coskun spoke at an event organized by the International Investors' Association of Türkiye (YASED) and Finance World. He said Türkiye had recovered from undeserved economic crises and now offered sustainable growth, regional stability, and expanding opportunities in agriculture, livestock, services, mining, energy, and tourism.
Rifat Hisarciklioglu, chairman of the Union of Turkish Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), said Türkiye, one of the world's 20 largest economies, would not let down investors who trusted it. He noted that direct foreign capital inflows reached 20 billion USD last year, surpassing portfolio investment for the first time.
Hisarciklioglu called for a coherent industrial policy and foreign capital strategy to channel investment into productive sectors. He identified energy, mining, housing construction, manufacturing, agriculture, and livestock as the most promising areas for foreign investors, and he warned that Türkiye was lagging on nuclear energy as a global renaissance in that sector gained momentum.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in February 2007, in its own words.