More than a dozen American-Turkish Council (ATC) members on June 1, met with Ilker Ayci, President of the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT) and his staff at an event co-sponsored by the American-Turkish Council and United States Chamber of Commerce. The occasion was a discussion of opportunities for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Turkey.

Mr. Ayci, who was appointed President of ISPAT in early 2011, outlined the factors that have made Turkey the 15th most attractive destination for FDI in the world. He described steps he is taking to restructure ISPAT and discussed the role ISPAT plays in promoting Turkey’s investment opportunities to the global business community. Drawing attention to the booming energy, real estate, construction, chemical, and tourism sectors of the Turkish economy, as well as the large, young, well-educated Turkish labor pool, Mr. Ayci illustrated the multitude of opportunities for foreign investment that exist in Turkey. No less important, Ayci explained, is ISPAT’s task of assisting current investors to see that they are treated openly, fairly and promptly.

Ambassador James Holmes, President and CEO of the ATC, and Peter Rashish, VP for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, thanked President Ayci and his staff, as well as the members of both organizations who attended the event. Holmes expressed optimism that additional investment would flow from such events and that companies would increasingly turn to ISPAT as a willing ally on investment issues.