President Gül opens Turkish office of Islamic Development Bank where he worked for eight years

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Turkish President Abdullah Gül speaks during the opening ceremony of the Islamic Development Bank's (IDB) Turkey office in Ankara, Sept. 19. DAILY NEWS photo, Selahattin SÖNMEZ

Turkish President Abdullah Gül participated in the opening ceremony of the Turkish office of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) on Sept. 19 in Ankara, an institution where he worked as an analyst for eight years between 1983 and 1991.
 
Gül said that this career opportunity was a unique experience that allowed him to familiarize himself with the “advantages and problems” in the Islamic World.
 
“[The ceremony] took me back 20 years. I worked in this bank for eight years when I was young. I remembered those productive and beautiful days. They were maybe the calmest days for my family,” Gül said, stressing that the bank had significantly grown since.
 
Gül also welcomed the bank’s decision to implant itself in Turkey, emphasizing that it is an ideal country for investments.
 
“We are one of IDB’s partners. We are a country that on the one hand funds [IDB] and on the other hand uses its opportunities. Sometimes you can’t find a place to put your capacity to good use. That’s why Turkey is a great opportunity for the bank,” Gül said during the ceremony, urging IDB to open a second office in Istanbul, where most banks have their headquarters.
 
“We envisage Istanbul as Turkey’s financial center. Not only IDB, but also the World Bank and International Finance Corporation have also opened offices here, as well as other international companies,” he said.
 
Gül worked in the bank’s headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia until 1991 when he returned to his career as a lecturer in international management.