New business center in Paris set to woo Turkish investors

The French government has opened a business center in Paris to help Turks considering doing business in France. Speaking to reporters at the French Palace in Istanbul's Beyoglu district yesterday, French Ambassador to Ankara Bernard Emie said the center, set to rent out space to Turkish firms, was jointly opened by the French Investment Agency (IFA) and French real estate company Regus at Charles de Gaulle Airport, near the gates for incoming Turkish Airlines and Air France flights from Turkey. Stressing that opening the center sends a strong signal to Turkish firms hesitating to invest in France, Emie said, "Turkey and France enjoy firm economic and trade ties. Along with Britain and Italy, France is ranked among the second-most-important group of Turkey 's trade partners, following Germany ." There are some 400 French firms doing business in Turkey, and Turkey is the second-biggest foreign investor in France 's foreign direct investment stock, he added. Complaining about the bilateral investment imbalance in favor of Turkey, Emie said French firms in Turkey employ some 100,000 people but in return for this, there are only 35 Turkish firms employing some 1,000 people in France. Now Turkish firms have no excuse to avoid investing in France, he added.