Turkish, British investors to gather in Istanbul

Turkish and U.K. businesspeople and officials will meet in Istanbul to discuss trade and export opportunities today.

The 10th U.K.-Turkey Business Forum has been organized by the Turkish British Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TBCCI).

Participants will discuss several topics including technology, finance, infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, construction and post-Brexit perspectives, according to a press release issued on Tuesday by the TBCCI.

Ruhsar Pekcan, the Turkish trade minister; Arda Ermut, head of the Investment Office of the Presidency of Turkey; Alderman Emma Edhem, chairman of the TBCCI; Remzi Gur, chairman of the Turkish British Business Council; and Turan Erdogan, CEO of major Turkish house appliances producer Vestel will give keynote speeches during the event.

The U.K. is among Turkey's top trade partners – the second-largest market for Turkish products and the seventh-largest source for the country's imports. In 2018, Turkey's exports to the U.K. surpassed $11 billion while its purchases of British goods totaled $7.4 billion. In the first seven months of this year, Turkish exports to the U.K. were recorded at $6 billion while imports from the country stood at $3 billion.

In an effort to regulate the economic and commercial relations in the post-Brexit period, Ankara and London have intensified negotiations through working groups under the Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETCO) platform.

In a June meeting in Ankara, the trade ministers of both countries stressed a common will to maintain the commercial relations and bilateral investments regardless of the outcome of Brexit.