German conglomerate Siemens, which has been operating in Turkey for over 160 years, is looking to make various new investments in the country and may partake in the joint production of medical equipment. During his high-profile state visit to Germany from Sept. 27 to Sept. 29, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Siemens President Joe Kaeser in Berlin. A report in the Hürriyet newspaper yesterday confirmed that the company is considering the production of tools such as MRI and tomography machines in Turkey.
Hürriyet's report quoted President Erdoğan as saying, "I see that we can take some joint steps by instituting cooperation between Turkish and German health ministries. There are tools such as MRI [Magnetic Resonance Imaging] and tomography. Many of them are related to Siemens. We had the opportunity to meet Siemens' president, a joint production of these devices in Turkey could develop. There could also be an opportunity for Siemens to make some investments in various sectors."
President Erdoğan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel came together on Saturday at a working breakfast to discuss bilateral issues. Erdoğan said that they spoke about rail systems, while the report noted that the meeting was also about cooperation with Siemens in the railway industry.
In a Twitter post late Sunday, President Erdoğan expressed hope that his recent state visit to Germany will improve bilateral relations.
"I believe our state visit to Germany will strengthen Turkish-German friendship in every aspect," he said.
Relations between Ankara and Berlin had suffered several setbacks in the past few years, but both sides have taken steps in recent months toward improving ties.
"We are leaving painful terms in the recent past with Germany behind," Erdogan said.
The president noted that the two countries had reached a consensus on reviving cooperation mechanisms.
Erdoğan said Turkey's new presidential system has paved the way for progress in the country. He said reforms within the scope of the country's EU membership process will continue and Turkey will fulfill the remaining six criteria for visa liberalization in a short time.
"In this regard, we care about Germany's support to Turkey", he said.
He noted that Turkey and Germany enjoy strong economic and trade ties, and said his country wants to further strengthen economic ties.
The fact that the German entrepreneurs have made more than $9 billion investments in Turkey since 2003 and that there was a 13 percent increase in bilateral trade volume in the last seven months reveals the trade potential, the president noted. "We want our German friends to continue reposing trust in Turkey, Turkish economy and our country's future," Erdoğan said.
With over 160 years of operation in the country, Siemens has carried out a number of investments and has written many success stories with its Turkish partners.
Siemens, a member of the consortium that secured Turkey's 1,000 megawatts (MW) wind power plant project, namely Wind Energy Renewable Energy Resource Areas (YEKA), said in early August it will build a 70 million euros wind power plant in İzmir's Aliağa district.
Eight consortiums, including some of the world's largest turbine manufacturers, participated in the YEKA tender held on Aug. 3, 2017. The Turkish-German consortium Siemens Gamesa-Türkerler-Kalyon won the tender with the lowest bid at $3.48 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
The consortium will invest over $1 billion in wind facilities. With the introduction of domestic wind power plants, a minimum of 3 billion kWh of electricity will be generated each year, enough to meet the electricity demand of approximately 1.1 million households. The $3.48 per kWh price tag is a worldwide record and is expected to decrease Turkey's annual energy imports of nearly $55 billion, reducing energy costs both for the state and households.
In December last year, the German giant opened a new low-voltage switchgear plant within its integrated production facilities based in the Gebze Organized Industrial Zone, where the company's investments have reached 65 million euros ($75.4 million). The giant facility is expected to contribute 100 million euros to the Turkish economy every year.
Moreover, Turkish State Railways (TCDD) reached a 340 million euro deal with Siemens in April this year to buy 10 Velaro high speed train sets.
The Siemens Mobility-Bozankaya consortium won a tender in 2016 to produce metro cars for Bangkok's public transport.
The Turkish producer of transportation vehicles has, in cooperation with Siemens, made the country's first-ever metro car export - Bangkok's metro line - worth $46.1 million at the end of June.
