European Investment Bank President Maystadt Due In Turkey

ANKARA - European Investment Bank President Philippe Maystadt will pay a visit to Turkey between March 4 and 5, 2004 upon invitation of Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul.
Releasing a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Maystadt and the accompanying delegation would meet with State Minister Ali Babacan and Treasury officials.
Maystadt is scheduled to meet with Gul at a dinner on March 4.
After holding talks with State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener and Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim, Maystadt and the accompanying delegation will proceed to Istanbul on March 5 to meet with representatives of private sector.
During visit of Maystadt, the sides will exchange views in detail over activities of the European Investment Bank in Turkey in the coming period.
Maystadt is expected to sign an agreement worth of 250 million Euros aiming to provide small and medium scale enterprises (SMSEs) with loan under appropriate conditions.
The statement noted that Turkey's rate of benefiting from loans of the European Investment Bank had increased following confirmation of Turkey's candidacy status to the European Union (EU), adding that Maystadt's visit to Turkey would further improve existing positive acceleration.
The European Investment Bank, the financing institution of the EU, was created by the Treaty of Rome in 1958. The members of the bank are the member states of the EU, who have all subscribed to the Bank's capital.
The European Investment Bank's mission is to further the objectives of the EU by providing long-term finance for specific capital projects of developing Trans-Europe transportation and telecommunication networks, protection of environment, provision of continuity of energy resources, and increasing competition power of industrial and small enterprises in the international level. It thereby contributes towards building a closer-knit Europe, particularly in terms of economic integration and greater economic and social cohesion.
(UK-AÖ) 02.03.2004