Turkish businesses have expressed serious interest in investment in Bulgaria, with specific intentions being declared by large companies in Turkey’s telecommunications sector, expected to yield developments in the coming months. This was announced by President Rosen Plevneliev, who held meetings in Istanbul with representatives of financial institutions and large international companies that have operations in more than 100 countries worldwide. “The trust between Bulgaria and Turkey is a signal to investors,” the President said of the results of his meetings with Turkish businesses.
The turnover of trade between Bulgaria and Turkey that this year has reached $4 billion is not enough and we want to reach a volume of $10 billion, the President said. He said that this was possible, especially in the sectors of energy, infrastructure and construction, agriculture and food production and tourism. Representatives of Turkish businesses operating in these sectors will visit Bulgaria at the end of this year and the beginning of next year, and in March 2013, Bulgarian and Turkish businesses will meet at a large-scale business forum in Sofia. It is expected that representatives of the Turkish telecommunications sector will visit Bulgaria as early as next week, the President said.
“There is huge potential and we see a real possibility for Bulgarian exports to Turkey to multiply,” President Plevneliev said. Of the total volume of bilateral trade, $2.6 billion falls on the Bulgarian side, but this was due also to exports by Turkish companies operating in Bulgaria.
Speaking to Bulgarian journalists in Istanbul, President Plevneliev announced that in 2016 the high-speed railway line being developed by the Turkish side, optimised for speeds of more than 200km/h would reach the Bulgarian border. The President said that it was a matter of honor and responsibility for Bulgaria to build its sections of railway line that would link Europe through Turkey to Central Asia. “The goal is that by 2016-2017, you would be able to travel from Azerbaijan through Georgia, Turkey and Bulgaria to reach Vienna in a journey at speeds of more than 200km/h,” President Plevneliev said.
The head of state’s official visit to Turkey ends today with a meeting with the Bulgarian community in Istanbul and representatives of émigré organizations.