Turkish finance chief meets investors, counterparts amid busy agenda in US
Treasury and Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati meets with portfolio investors in Washington, U.S., April 21, 2022. (Photo: @NureddinNebati)


Treasury and Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati on Thursday emphasized the increasing interest in Turkey as he met leading portfolio investors in the United States and held talks with his counterparts from several countries and executives of international organizations.

Nebati arrived in Washington on Tuesday to attend the meeting of G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors as well as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank spring meetings.

"We talked to the investors about the recent developments and conveyed the opportunities offered by our country within the framework of the Turkish Economic Model to them," the minister said on Twitter.

"We are very pleased to see that interest in Turkey continues to grow," he told the meeting organized by JPMorgan.

Nebati was referring to the new economic policy authorities have been pursuing that prioritizes low interest rates to boost credit, exports, investments and production.

To support the drive, Turkey’s central bank had brought down the benchmark policy rate by 500 points since September to 14%.

Nebati separately held a "productive" meeting with Alok Sharma, president of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26.

"Stressing that our cooperation is important for the Paris Agreement and the COP26 goals, we stressed the importance of acting consultatively in the upcoming period to implement new green projects," the minister said.

Nebati also came together with Makhtar Diop, managing director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

"Expressing our determination to create a carbon-free economic development and growth model, we held a meeting on strengthening our cooperation in ongoing projects," he added.

For his part, Diop also said the two officials had a productive conversation on Turkey’s initiatives to make the economy more environmentally friendly.

"Istanbul is an important regional hub for IFC, and we look forward to strengthening our partnership," he noted.

Among others, Nebati said he addressed global economic developments in a meeting with European Central Bank (ECB) Governor Christine Lagarde.

He held talks with Odile Renaud-Basso, the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

"We evaluated with Mr. President the developments in our economy and potential areas of cooperation in Turkey, especially green financing," he noted.

The minister also held talks with his counterparts from Italy, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Singapore.