Top Turkish and Belgian officials on Monday highlighted "significant" opportunities to deepen economic cooperation in defense, technology, logistics and green energy, while reaffirming their goal of significantly increasing bilateral trade.
The remarks came during a business forum in Istanbul attended by more than 400 private-sector representatives as part of an economic mission led by Belgium's Queen Mathilde. Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat has described it as the largest international delegation visit to Türkiye to date.
Queen Mathilde, later Monday, was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who said recent regional developments have once again highlighted the geopolitical importance of Türkiye-EU relations, according to a statement released by the Communications Directorate.
During the talks that covered bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues, Erdoğan also stressed updating the customs union in line with current conditions is "a key area necessitating swift progress" on the path toward Türkiye's full EU membership.
At the forum, officials highlighted opportunities to expand cooperation in areas including defense, technology, green transition and logistics. They also emphasized the importance of modernizing the Türkiye-EU Customs Union and Türkiye's role as a production and logistics hub for European markets.
The delegation also included Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot and Defense Minister Theo Francken, who is also responsible for foreign trade.
The bilateral trade volume between Türkiye and Belgium reached $9.2 billion in 2025, including $5 billion in Turkish exports and $4.2 billion in imports.
Turkish Trade Minister Bolat said the two countries are aiming to increase the volume to $15 billion in the near term.
He added that priorities include strengthening the legal and business framework through agreements on investment protection, investment promotion and the avoidance of double taxation, ensuring transparency, predictability and security for investors.
Belgian investments in Türkiye totaled $9.3 billion between 2002 and January 2026, while Turkish investments in Belgium amounted to $490 million.
Bolat said 719 Belgian companies currently operate in Türkiye, while Turkish companies are expanding in Belgium across logistics, defense, manufacturing, retail and advanced technologies.
The economic mission is regarded as one of Belgium's most significant economic diplomacy initiatives with a strong political dimension.
It typically features a range of events centered on key sectors of bilateral economic relations with the host country and aims to promote concrete cooperation opportunities.
Belgium last organized an economic mission to Türkiye in 2012, when the visit was led by King Philippe, then crown prince.
Bolat underscored the sides' intention to deepen cooperation in strategic sectors, including defense, logistics, energy, technology and advanced manufacturing.
Citing geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions and rising protectionism, Bolat described Türkiye as a strategic production and logistics hub connecting Europe, Asia and Africa, offering direct access to a market of more than 1.3 billion consumers.
He highlighted Türkiye's economic scale, noting its $1.6 trillion economy, young workforce and expanding industrial base. "Türkiye has become a global production, technology and logistics center," he said.
Defense was highlighted as one of the strongest growth areas in bilateral cooperation.
Erdoğan told Mathilde that Türkiye's participation in the EU's defense initiatives is in the mutual interest of all sides, the statement said.
The president further said Türkiye and Belgium hold significant potential for cooperation in a broad range of fields, including trade, the defense industry, energy and agriculture, adding that efforts to further strengthen bilateral ties would continue.
He added that the green energy transition represents an important area of cooperation with Belgium, emphasizing that Türkiye is among Europe's leading countries in installed renewable energy capacity.
The delegation on Sunday visited the Turkish drone powerhouse Baykar, which Belgium's Francken described as "unique" within NATO because "it has made permanent innovation its mantra."
"This company pioneered AI-integrated armed drones. They are getting higher and flying higher and further," Francken wrote on the social media platform X.
Bolat said Türkiye's defense and aerospace exports rose from $248 million in 2002 to more than $10 billion in 2025, a nearly 40-fold increase that has positioned the country as the world's 11th-largest defense exporter.
"We see growing interest from Belgium in deeper engagement with our defense ecosystem," he said.
He also emphasized logistics as another major area of opportunity, citing Türkiye's $150 billion logistics market and more than $50 billion in logistics service exports.
Türkiye's transportation infrastructure includes 58 airports and flight connections to 356 destinations, while weekly connectivity between Türkiye and Belgium includes 80 passenger flights and 14 cargo flights, according to Bolat.
More than 600,000 Belgian tourists visited Türkiye last year, he added.
Bolat identified information technologies, pharmaceuticals and clean energy as additional areas where bilateral cooperation could deepen.
He said Türkiye's energy transition strategy, particularly in offshore wind and hydrogen technologies, presents opportunities for collaboration with Belgian firms.
Bolat also called on the EU to modernize the customs union to support integrated value chains between European and Turkish companies.
"We are working very closely on updating the customs union in line with today's economic realities," he said.
Türkiye's annual trade volume with the EU has reached $233 billion, while nearly 70% of the $290 billion in foreign direct investment entering Türkiye since the early 2000s has originated from European firms, he noted.
As part of the forum, Bolat, Prevot and Francken signed a joint declaration aimed at strengthening bilateral trade relations.
In his speech, Prevot underlined the importance of the EU-Türkiye Customs Union in connecting Turkish industry to European value chains, while stressing that trade was "only one part of the story."
He said Belgium and Türkiye have "highly complementary strengths" in multiple sectors, including energy, aerospace, defense, logistics, biotechnology and life sciences.
He added that bilateral ties "are built on nearly two centuries of political, diplomatic and economic cooperation." According to Prevot, existing ties are already strong, but further potential remains in innovation, research and industrial collaboration.
Meanwhile, Turkish Investment and Finance Office head Ahmet Burak Dağlıoğlu said Türkiye has maintained a reform-driven agenda since 2003, regularly updating investment policies and improving the business climate.
"Every 18 to 24 months, we prepare and implement a new reform agenda, gather private sector feedback and launch the next phase of reforms," Dağlıoğlu said.
"Türkiye is a resilient and fast-growing economy," he said, noting the country has recorded compound annual growth of 5.3% since 2003.
Dağlıoğlu said Türkiye's strategic location has turned the country into a major connectivity and logistics hub linking three continents.
Massive infrastructure investments have transformed Türkiye from a regional bridge into a global economic powerhouse, he added.
He also noted that the government recently announced a new package of financial and non-financial investment incentives.
Addressing the event, Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) President Nail Olpak said Türkiye and Belgium have complementary economic strengths.
"Belgium is home to world-class companies in pharmaceuticals, chemicals, logistics, high-tech manufacturing and defense," he noted.
Olpak cited Türkiye's economic strength in production, technology and research and development, with its role as a global trade hub and consumer market of 86 million people.
He said the green transition presents significant opportunities for cooperation, combining Belgian sustainability expertise with Türkiye's rapidly growing renewable energy sector.
He also highlighted the potential for cooperation between Belgian high-tech companies and Türkiye's expanding startup ecosystem.
According to Olpak, defense industry cooperation remains an important and logical area for both countries.
"We all witness that today's only certainty is uncertainty, which we businesspeople never like," he said. "The idea of free trade has been transferred to economic blocs as well as political blocs."
Türkiye's more than 60-year EU partnership journey should now be viewed from a new perspective, Olpak stressed.
