Europe top investor into Turkey

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Çağlayan says foreign direct investment to Turkey has jumped this year. AA photo

European countries made up 86 percent of foreign direct investments to Turkey in the first 10 months of this year, said Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan.

Foreign direct investments reached $436 million in October 2011, said Çağlayan, and the figure increased 84 percent between January and October of 2011 as compared with the same period in 2010.

The minister said direct investments to Turkey increased to $11.5 billion in the first 10 months of 2011 compared to $6.3 billion in the same period in 2010.

Total foreign direct investment to Turkey in 2010 was $9.1 billion, according to official figures.
Çağlayan said Turkey was the rising economy of the world with the 9.6 percent growth rate it recorded in the first three quarters of 2011.

Spain and Austria were the two EU countries that made the highest investment in Turkey in 2011 with $2.18 billion and $2.15 billion respectively.

Banking, insurance and energy sectors drew the highest investments, said the minister.
Çağlayan is set to visit Geneva today to attend a ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO).