×

Slovak-Turkish Business Forum in Bratislava

 
The Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) together with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic (MZVaEZ) and the Council on Foreign Economic Relations of Turkey (DEIK) organized a business forum on the occasion of the official visit of the President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Bratislava. R. T. Erdogan last visited Slovakia in February 2013, then still in office of the Turkish Prime Minister when he also l attended the business forum co-organized by SARIO.
 
The business forum was opened by Miroslav Lajčák, the Vice Prime Minister and the Minister of the Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic in the Congress Hall (MZVaEZ) with the presence of Andrej Kiska, the President of the Slovak Republic, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Turkey Nihat Zeybekci. At the end of the official part the Memorandum of Understanding between the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) and Turkish Council on Foreign Economic Relations (DEIK) aimed at promoting investment and trade between the two countries. The second document was a memorandum signed between the Slovak Business Agency (SBA) and the Organization for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (KOSGEP).
 
"Slovakia is close to the eastern and western European markets, has skilfully labour, natural resources, stable environment and attractive conditions. Therefore it became a centre of interest of foreign investors, particularly in the automotive industry. Despite the global financial crisis and economic recession in Europe, Slovakia showed in 2014 above-average economic growth, "Erdogan appreciated.
 
According to the Slovak President, Turkey is for us not only a popular holiday destination, but it is for Slovakia very interesting and promising market and especially "achievable for small and medium-sized businesses," said Kiska and appreciated that the economic cooperation between Turkey and Slovakia in recent years focuses on the area of ​​innovation and advanced technology. R.T. Erdogan acknowledged that both countries have a greater potential to develop bilateral trade and he also hopes that the cooperation, to which also this business forum had contributed, will continue. SARIO already during its preparation recorded enormous interest of the Slovak entrepreneurs in this event.
 
The success of the forum is due to SARIO agency, co-organizers and 45 participating Turkish companies as well as 70 Slovak companies, mostly from energy, construction, technology transfer, defence, automotive and food industries as well as infrastructure and tourism.