Turkey investment summit begins in London

Investment opportunities in Turkey are currently in the spotlight of a two-day summit in London to attract British investors. The Turkey Investment Summit, co-organized by the Turkish Embassy in London and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), is being attended by Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, Turkish Investment Support and Promotion Agency (ISPAT) head Alpaslan Korkmaz, Turkish Ambassador to Britain Yigit Alpogan, EBRD Vice President Varel Freeman, Morgan Stanley chief economist Tevfik Aksoy, and many bureaucrats and businessmen. The summit began yesterday with Korkmaz's inaugural speech. Simsek arrived at the meeting in the afternoon after attending a panel discussion in Istanbul on Turkey's investment climate sponsored by the University of Chicago. Korkmaz invited British capital owners to come and invest in Turkey. "There are vast opportunities in Turkey, and we're ready to provide any support to investors who are interested in Turkey," Korkmaz said in his speech. He spoke of a "great change" Turkey underwent in its recent past, which in the end made the country an attractive place for investment. Participants will exchange views and answer questions on how Turkey has coped with the global economic crisis, projections for energy and infrastructure investment, and overall investment opportunities. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Istanbul meeting, Simsek said Turkey will likely return to its high growth path soon. He said he spoke to attendees at the closed-door panel about Turkey's experience of the global economic crisis, Turkey's advantages in facing the crisis, how it will perform in the post-crisis era, and the progress Turkey has made thanks to its negotiations with the European Union for full membership.