A high-level business delegation from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) is visiting Türkiye's business hub Istanbul and the third largest city Izmir between Dec. 18-20 to explore trade ties and conduct meetings with business bodies in the country.
The delegation comprises representatives of sectors such as health care, information and communication technology (ICT), food, electric vehicles, defense, drones and engineering. This is a reciprocal visit by FICCI following a visit of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) delegation to multiple cities in India in November 2022.
The business delegation participated in the India-Türkiye Business Council meeting organized by DEIK at its headquarters in Istanbul on Monday.
Chairperson of the Indian Business Council and Gedik Holding CEO Hülya Gedik welcomed the delegation and highlighted the need for more robust business exchanges between India and Türkiye.
Leader of the Indian delegation, Navil Prasad, the CEO of Kirloskar Technologies, urged that bilateral trade had the potential to more than double the current level and that more investment in both countries must be the way forward.
He stated that India was open for business with Türkiye and that this visit to Istanbul was a signal of the openness of India for Türkish businesses.
Trade volume between the pair reached $12.3 billion in 2022, according to the Trade Ministry's data.
Consul General of India Mijito Vinito said that India presented a growth opportunity and partnership, and challenged the private sector on both sides to increase the frequency of focused business exchanges.
Çağtay Özden, head of the Department of Asia Pacific Countries of the Trade Ministry presented a detailed overview of the current trade and investment status between India and Türkiye and suggested steps ahead that could be taken.
The FICCI delegation also had fruitful meetings with the leadership of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) and the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSIAD) and paid a visit to Yıldız Technopark.
The delegation will head to Izmir for business meetings with the Izmir Chamber of Commerce and the Aegean Exporters Association.