Erdoğan to attend investor conference in New York


The Turkey-U.S Business Council (TAİK) will organize the 9th Turkey Investment Conference in New York on Sept. 26, bringing together highly regarded Turkish opinion leaders, senior government officials and corporate executives with institutional investors interested in better understanding the investment landscape in Turkey.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to attend the conference and meet with around 400 investors, senior executives of large funds, important players in the financial world and representatives of investment banks.

Erdoğan will be accompanied by Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak and Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan, according to TAİK officials, a report in the Hürriyet newspaper said yesterday.

Erdoğan will pay an official visit to the U.S. on Sept. 23-27 to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The visit is considered to be significant as it comes amidst a row between the Ankara and Washington. The relations between the two countries have been severely strained as a result of the U.S.' unjust sanctions imposed over the country. In the face of economic sanctions, some European countries have expressed their support for Turkey.

TAİK Chairman Mehmet Ali Yalçındağ, according to the report, emphasized the significance of the meeting. It quoted Yalçındağ saying, "In such a period when each step becomes more crucial in the relations between the two countries; it is of great importance to explain investment opportunities in Turkey to portfolio managers, global firms that make direct investments first hand."

He also noted that one of the most important goals in the world's financial center, New York, is to strengthen the perception of the Turkish lira, which he said was distorted by unnatural methods.

"We will be explaining Turkey's economic strength and its robustness to senior decision-makers at the event by conveying how it has overcome many challenges," Yalçındağ added. The TAİK chairman also they were in close contact with Presidency Communications Director Fahrettin Altun and the head of Investment Office of the Presidency Arda Ermut for the planning of the event.