Turkey's direct investment in Greece climbs to $18 million

Greece, suffering a financial crisis, has become a favorite sport for Turkish businesspeople, who have made direct investments totaling $18 million in Greece in the first six months of the year. It is estimated that the total amount of investments made in Greece surpasses $500 million dollars along with other investments via European countries. The new era, started with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Greece in recent years, has turned into an era of investment. According to data released by Undersecretariat of Treasury, the amount of investments made by Turkish businesspeople in Greece equaled $15 million by the end of 2011, and increased to $18 million in the first six months of 2012. According to the bureaucrats' estimation, companies which were particularly established by Turkish businessmen in countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and France prefer to invest in Greece. Reportedly, Turkish companies invest in Greece is in numerous fields especially in energy, textile and real estate.