The first meeting of the Italian “Committee of Entrepreneurs” in Turkey organised by the Italian Embassy in Ankara was held today. The meeting opened with introductory greetings from the Ambassador of Italy to Turkey Massimo Gaiani and the Ambassador of Turkey to Italy Murat Esenli, followed by speeches by the Turkish Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Faruk Kaymakci and Undersecretary Ivan Scalfarotto.
Faced with a significant presence of Italian companies in Turkey (about 1400), the Undersecretary welcomed the mutual commitment to relaunch economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries in the coming months. For the Undersecretary, “working towards a rapid resumption of flights is a matter of primary necessity. Not only for our students, for our tourists but above all for our communities of entrepreneurs”. Finally, on the Turkish side, there was a willingness to update the Customs Union Agreement with the EU.
Answering the questions posed by the Italian business community in Turkey concerning the current trade difficulties linked to the effects of the lockdown, Scalfarotto pointed out that “fear does not close our borders. The health emergency has shown us how the world is in absolute need of building bridges and not walls.
The same complementarity between our economies, which are close to an exchange of EUR 18 billion in 2019, underlines the importance of continuing to invest in our respective countries. Regarding the management of the pandemic, Italy has appreciated the solidarity and friendship shown by Turkey. At the same time, it is necessary to preserve peace and security in the Mediterranean area, avoiding unilateral initiatives that could jeopardize the stability of the region”.
