Turkey lures investment in energy and transportation sectors

Turkey called on world giant investors to invest more in the country's energy and transportation sectors in order to secure its needs on sustainable energy and raw material in an international conference here on Tuesday. Turkey's finance minister Mehmet Simsek in his opening speech in "Turkey Investment Summit" appealed the foreign investors to invest more as the country with its strong banking system, political stability and its sustainable growth would continue to provide generous opportunities. He noted that the country, while building its nuclear energy infrastructure, gives importance to the constructions of power plants, thermal plants and solar plants. Addressing to the world national asset managers and fund managers, he said "energy prices will begin on downward trend soon. Solar power will boost in the near future. It will bring great relief to the account deficit problem." Simsek has also drawn the attentions to the profitable opportunities of the transportation sector. "The third bridge under construction is currently Turkey's largest of all. Eurasia Tunnel, Gebze-Imir highway and Istanbul- Ankara speed railway are among other important projects in the sector," he remarked. The cost of these three project totals 7 billion U.S. dollars, he said, adding that they are under the guarantee of Turkish treasury institution. Turkey during the first four months of 2014 has realized 10 percent of export, according to Turkey's economy minister Nihat Zeybekci. "Asian countries and the EU are among the most important partners. We would like to guarantee our needs on sustainable energy and raw material," he said. During the two days of the conference participants from 30 countries would discuss and evaluate reasons to invest in Turkey under the main theme of "Why should growing markets and institutionalized investors invest to Turkey."