Turkey-Belgian business Forum held in Istanbul

The Turkey-Belgian Business Forum, organized by Turkey's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), was held in Istanbul yesterday with the participation of Prince Philippe of Belgium, as well as hundreds of businesspeople and investors from the two countries. Speaking on the sidelines of the forum, Prince Philippe said that Turkey's economic dynamism and achievements have become a source of inspiration for other countries. "Economic growth over the past ten years has been impressive. The growth rate has reached double-digit figures at certain times. The quality and the dynamism of your labor force is really impressive," Prince Philippe said, adding that Turkey's gross domestic product almost doubled since his latest visit to the country in 2004. Speaking at the forum, Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan criticized the EU for its strict visa regime on Turks and Turkish businesspeople, saying, "We have been in the Customs Union for 17 years and we have a resolute stance on integration with the EU. European businesspeople easily visit our country while our businesspeople are asked to get visas. This is for me a human rights violation, a crime against humanity." Caglayan also said trade volume between Turkey and Belgium had reached $6.5 billion from $1.8 billion ten years ago, adding that the current trade figures did not represent the true potentials of the economies of the two countries. Following the business forum, a protocol with regard to establishing a joint trade commission between the two countries was signed. Furthermore, Caglayan and Prince Philippe met at a luncheon which was closed to the press and discussed education and cooperation opportunities between Belgian and Turkey.