Automotive Exports March 2021

Turkey calls for
investments in
specialized free
zones
Turkey provides many opportunities and
incentives for innovation and technologyfocused
investments in the specialized free
zones, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said ,
calling on investors to invest in those areas.
“We plan to expand the specialized free
zones model, which we first implemented
for the software and information sector,
for other high-tech and high value-added
sectors in the future. I invite you to invest
in our specialized free zones,” Pekcan said.
The minister told that Turkey’s dynamic
nature makes it quite an attractive country
for investments, among other things.
Among the major points that enable
Turkey to come forward, as Pekcan said,
there are the advantaged position in
logistics, qualified and young population,
the advantages of competitiveness in
production and European Union standardquality
infrastructure along with its
customs union agreement with the EU.
Although many developing countries have
the potential to attract investment, the
minister said, Turkey can be distinguished
in a very positive course with these
characteristics.
Pekcan, who said that they aim to make
Turkey one of the strategic suppliers
worldwide by attracting more foreign
direct investment (FDI), stressed that they
maintain work to enhance the investment
environment in the country under the
coordination of the Coordination Council
for the Improvement of the Investment
Environment (YOIKK).
The specialized free zones, meanwhile,
are among the initiatives that contribute
greatly to the country’s investment
environment, she said, and that the
ministry has commissioned the New
Generation Specialized Free Zone Project to
further strengthen those initiatives.
Global supply chain
The trade minister, noting that state
support in exports is also important in
terms of trade and investments, said that
the companies with export potential and
export-oriented works can easily attract
investments from abroad.
“As the Ministry of Commerce, we have
a very different support instrument that
differs according to the competence levels
of our companies. Our ministry aims to
increase the export of high value-added
products,” Pekcan said. She also added that
with the Global Supply Chain Competency
Project, one of the most important types
of support allocated by the state, local
manufacturing companies operating in the
aerospace, aviation, electrical-electronics,
machinery, automotive, mining and metals,
and chemistry sectors who conduct globalscale
production are provided funds for the
purchases of the machinery, equipment
and hardware they need. The ministry also
takes steps to effectively promote local
manufacturers’ products abroad, she said,
for the further strengthening of improving
product image. Pekcan emphasized that
the ministry is in constant negotiations
with countries and regions for bilateral
and multilateral agreements, and stated
that they closely follow the EU Green
Consensus Strategy and EU Supply Chain
legal regulations within the scope of these
negotiations. She reiterated that Turkey
is also participating in the World Trade
Organization’s (WTO) Investment Facilitation
Working Group.
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