International affairs
On September 23rd, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce organised a Round Table on the occasion of the visit to Luxembourg of H.E. Mr Mehmet Simsek, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey. The Minister was accompanied by a high-ranking delegation of government officials and business people.
At the round table were present a number of stakeholders, Luxembourg-based companies, various business federations, as well as the Ambassador to Turkey in Luxembourg.
Carlo Thelen, Director General of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the President and his delegation by highlighting the longstanding friendship between Luxembourg and Turkey. With 80 million inhabitants, Turkey is an important market and hub to markets in Central Asia and the Middle East. Over the past decade, Luxembourg, the third largest foreign investor in Istanbul, had a trade surplus with Turkey. In 2015, the total trade volume between the two countries reached 139 million Euros but exchanges could be raised gradually.
Minister Simsek also mentioned that: “The current level of trade does not reflect the true potential of our economies” and suggested focusing on Entrepreneurship and Innovation to increase exchanges. He also confirmed that after the “coup d’État” life went back to normal quickly, the state of emergency allowed to swiftly restructure the military system. "The coup is behind us," he continued, "we're back on the European road." The Deputy Prime Minister even offered to "sign a new generation of trade agreements with the EU, including in particular agriculture, services and government procurements."
There are a number of sectors that both Luxembourg and Turkey are pursuing: the automotive industry, construction, aerospace, ICT and logistics. The Luxembourg companies that were present then had the opportunity to talk about their projects and activities on the Turkish market. A networking lunch enhanced by the presence of H.E. Minister Schneider and H.E. Minister Gramegna concluded the session at the Chamber of Commerce.
