President Erdoğan to meet top executives of 25 multinationals in US

Hülya Güler - ISTANBUL

AP photo

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will meet high-level executives from some 25 multinationals on the Fortune 100 List in a bid to lure more investment to Turkey during his five-day visit to the United States. He is also expected to call for support for Turkey’s participation in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

Erdoğan’s U.S. visit, which is mainly to attend the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington D.C. but will also include a meeting with executives from 25 top companies, will start on March 29. 

The names of these companies have not been announced as a security measure. A number of leading defense, technology, finance, food, chemical and aviation companies will attend the roadshow, according to sources. 

The main agenda is expected to be Turkey’s investment climate and potential participation in the TTIP, according to sources. Erdoğan will inform about the country’s investment environment and potentials and call for support for the participation of Turkey in the TTIP. 

Economy Minister Mustafa Elitaş met the senior executives of the U.S. companies, which are active in Turkey, last week in Istanbul as a preparatory move for Erdoğan’s U.S. meeting. 

The head of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK), Ömer Cihad Vardan, said the U.S. meeting was organized in cooperation with the Turkish-American Business Council (TAİK) and the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT). 

“We have always held several events with business representatives during foreign visits of the Turkish president and the Turkish prime minister. This time we have chosen a quite different format and organized a roadshow with the participation of a very small group of very high level businesspeople. At the beginning, we targeted 15 companies. This figure has increased to 25, although we accepted the attendance of only CEOs and company presidents,” he noted. 

A 300-person gala dinner will follow the roadshow. Erdoğan is expected to make a presentation about the Turkish economy during the dinner. Representatives from the DEİK and the ISPAT will also make a presentation.