DUTCH COMPANIES EXPLORING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN TURKEY
Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade Henk Bleker visited Turkey from 20 – 25 March 2011, along with a business delegation of 29 companies from The Netherlands. The majority of these 29 Dutch companies were specialised in horticulture, dairy and meat, information technology, shipbuilding and renewable energy, and they explored direct business opportunities via matchmaking meetings with Turkish companies in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir. The economic mission to Turkey took place as part of the Strategic Activity Plan of the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation whereby 1-2 trade and investment promotion events in Turkey would be held every year. As 2012 will be the 400th anniversary of bilateral relations between The Netherlands and Turkey, such activities will further intensify in the coming months.
On 21 March 2011, Minister Bleker held bilateral meetings with the representatives of Turkish government. As a part of his one-day program in Ankara, Minister Bleker also attended a seminar on dairy industry cooperation and met the executives of leading Dutch capital firms in Turkey. His official delegation continued the visit to Istanbul and Izmir after his return to The Hague. Following a luncheon offered by Holland Maritime Equipment (HME) association at the Mare Forum maritime congress in Istanbul, the ministerial delegation visited the Europort Eurasia Maritime Fair where it launched a joint-venture by Dutch Imtech and Turkish Elkon at The Netherlands pavillion. Other highlights in the official delegation’s programme in Istanbul and Izmir included company visits to Vakko, a leading Turkish fashion enterprise, as well as to Dutch origin companies active in Turkey for a long time, such as Philips, Kapadokya Tekstil and Gira Solar. The official delegation also met the Aegean Businessmen’s and Industrialists’ Association (ESIAD) and visited Izmir University of Economy. A renewable energy seminar was also organised in Istanbul.
The Netherlands economic mission to Turkey is the most recent sign of Dutch private sector’s keen interest in Turkey’s flourishing economy. As of December 2010, 1,866 companies with Dutch capital are present in Turkey realizing 20 percent of international direct investments within the last five years and ranking the Netherlands only second to Germany. The bilateral trade volume between The Netherlands and Turkey surpassed US$ 5.7 billion last year, nearly restoring the pre-crisis levels. Turkey is among The Netherland’s most important trade partners outside the EU region. Turkey’s young and dynamic population as well as the country’s strong manufacturing capacity and highly developed infrastructure render it both a very attractive market and a production place, according to many Dutch enterprises. On the other hand, nearly 150 Turkish origin companies have subsidiaries in the Netherlands and make use of the country as a gateway for Western European markets. Among these Turkish investors in the Netherlands are banks, chemical, textile and fashion companies, logistics firms and producers of consumer electronics. The increasing role of small and medium sized companies in the bilateral economic relations as well as the strong involvement of Turkish origin business people in The Netherlands are also healthy signs for the future growth.