Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was the Guest of Honor of YASED’s Traditional Ankara Reception held on 20 November at Ankara Hilton. Besides the members and the Board members of YASED, more than 400 guests including current and former MPs, many top bureaucrats, representatives of the business organizations, chairmen of chambers, Ambassadors and representatives of international organizations participated in the Reception.

In his opening address on behalf of YASED Board, Chairman Tahir Uysal expressed that YASED deeply appreciated the persistent efforts exerted and successful results achieved by the Government in increasing the international direct investment inflows to the country and backed these efforts with its entire means; and stated that the reforms should continue without ever slowing down so as not to lose the momentum gained during recent years. Uysal underlined that political and economic stability will always be the topmost demand of investors, and recited the issues necessary to sharpen Turkey’s competitiveness and particularly to attract greenfield investment to our country besides M&As, which currently constitute a very significant share of the FDI inflows. Chairman Uysal, in this context mentioned that structural reforms should be sustained, unregistered economy should be avoided by regulating the tax system, the existing burdens on employment should be eased, supports given to R&D should be sustained, and pointed out to the significance of reforms in the judicial system and particularly the intellectual and property rights.      

Then, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Guest of Honor of the Reception, in his address, stated that international investmentd played a significant role in the improvements accomplished in the economic areas; expressed his thanks to YASED in this regard for its efforts, and expressed that economic improvements cannot be correlated solely to global conditions, and that the achievements were also attributable to Turkey’s own inner dynamics. 

Prime Minister Erdoğan stated that the international direct investment inflows to Turkey was $15.3 billion as of September 2007, and that the $25 billion figure would be attainable at the end of the year, and recited Turkey’s global ranking in various indicators issued by a number of international organizations.

Prime Minister Erdoğan stated that no one would like to invest and take risk in a country struggling with uncertainties, and added that Turkey has developed as one of the most outstanding countries ion the world regarding investment, by eliminating the uncertainties concerned. Prime Minister Erdoğan lastly mentioned about the works carried out by the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey, which reports directly to the Office of the Prime Minister, and the importance of promotion, and underlined that they gave significance to the maintenance of a harmonious cooperation between the Agency and YASED. 
   
After his address to the guests, the Prime Minister received YASED Board for a private meeting.