Nebati slams opposition leader over FDIs

ISTANBUL

Treasury and Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati has slammed the leader of the main opposition party over his comments on the foreign direct investments (FDI), saying that FDI inflows into Türkiye soared in the past two decades.

“Data is clear. The foreign direct investment inflows stood at only $14 billion between 1975 and 2001, whereas the inflows amounted to $254.2 billion from 2002 to February 2023,” Nebati wrote on Twitter.

He also noted that the number of foreign companies operating in Türkiye rose from 5,600 in 2002 to 79,564 as ofJanuary 2023.

Nebati criticized Kılıçdaroğlu for making a comparison between Türkiye and Vietnam.

“It is a great mistake to compare Türkiye to a country like Vietnam, which has nothing to do with us, socio-economically and geographically,” the minister said.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) previously claimed that Türkiye could attract $300 billion when they come to power.

Kılıçdaroğlu wrote on Twitter that Vietnam attracted $27.2 billion in FDIs in 2022, which corresponded to some 6.6 percent of the country’s GDP last year.

“Just apply the same ratio to our economy. It means around $60 billion [of inflows] each year, adding up to $300 billion in five years,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.