The Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek embarked on a series of meetings with investors in Europe and Gulf in October. This initiative follows his previous engagements with investors in New York, where he accompanied President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his visit to the US for the 78th United Nations General Assembly.
On October 4-6, Minister Şimşek held meetings with senior-level executives from international asset management firms, investment funds, multinational banks, and infrastructure fund managers, collectively overseeing assets exceeding USD 75 trillion in London. Notably, over 100 executives from approximately 85 different institutions, including credit rating agencies, participated in these discussions.
As part of these meetings, Minister Şimşek provided insights into Türkiye's new economic policies, outlining the country's preparations for medium-term goals and reforms under the program. He extended an invitation to international investors and credit rating agencies to explore investment prospects in Türkiye.
On October 19, Minister Şimşek met with French Minister of Finance Bruno Le Maire to discuss strategies to boost bilateral investments. Minister Şimşek also met with representatives of the Movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF), the largest business body in the country, in an event hosted by Jean Lemierre, the head of financial services company BNP Paribas. In another separate event hosted by Société Générale, Minister Şimşek shared insights with investment funds and senior bank executives on the Turkish economy and the country's program for the future.
Furthermore, Minister Şimşek presented investment opportunities in Türkiye to the CEOs and CFOs of around 70 companies at the Franco-German Forum.
On October 23-24, Minister Şimşek embarked on a new tour of Gulf countries, including the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, in a move to present Türkiye's FDI opportunities. During the tour, he held meetings with Emirati Investment Minister Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi in Abu Dhabi and Qatari Finance Minister Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari in Doha. Minister Şimşek also met with Expo Doha 2023 Secretary General Mohammed Ali Al Khouri.
Furthermore, Minister Şimşek attended the 14th installment of the “Türkiye Century Investment Reception" series in Qatar, organized by the Investment Office, in which he stated, "We presented the investment opportunities in our country to more than 200 investors and representatives of the financial world."
During the last leg of his Gulf visit, Minister Şimşek signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan to enhance cooperation in the fiscal field. This signing took place on the sidelines of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Forum, where Minister Şimşek attended the "Balancing the Meaning of Finance" session to provide insight into Türkiye's new monetary policies.
Additionally, Minister Şimşek also discussed potential investment opportunities between the two countries in a meeting with Saudi Arabian Minister of Investment Khalid A. El-Falih.