Prince Philippe of Belgium Princess Mathilde in Istanbul

Prince Philippe of Belgium and Princess Mathilde, yesterday visited the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, where they were also informed on the palace by Director of Topkapi Palace Museum Haluk Dursun. The royal couple also visited the Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas and Governor Avni Mutlu in their offices, and met with business circles in Istanbul on the sidelines of a meeting which was held with representatives from the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) in cooperation with the Turkish Economy Bank (TEB) and attended by some 350 businesspeople from 193 Belgian companies. Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, General Manager of TEB Varol Civil said that Turkey's rooted historical and economic relations with Belgium date back to 1840s and that they have been gladly following the developments between Turkey and Belgium with regard to mutual trade and investments. As part of their visit, Prince Philippe presented the Belgian Crown Order to a group of businesspeople, including Unal Aysal, chairman of Turkey's Galatasaray football team, and Pinar Eczacibasi, chairwoman of the Turkey-Belgium Business Council.