President Erdoğan addressed investors in the US

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while in New York for the 80th United Nations General Assembly, met with investors at a conference organized by the Turkey-US Business Council at the Türkevi. Also present at the conference were Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, Minister of Health Kemal Memişoğlu, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat, Director of Communications Burhanettin Duran, Chief of the Presidential Private Secretary Hasan Doğan, Chief Advisor to the President for Foreign Policy and Security Ambassador Akif Çağatay Kılıç, President of the Presidency for Defense Industries Haluk Görgün, President of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) Nail Olpak, and President of the Turkey-US Business Council (TAİK) Murat Özyeğin.

In his speech, President Erdoğan stated that they continue to take steps to strengthen a transparent, competitive, and secure market environment that will make Türkiye more attractive to investors. Erdoğan, stating that they see energy and defense industry cooperation with the United States as priority areas, said, “The $100 billion trade volume we set with my esteemed friend President Trump in 2019 remains our common goal. To this end, we have increased support for exports with the United States. Programs such as sector visits and trade delegations have accelerated. I wholeheartedly believe that we will reach our $100 billion target with the support of our private sector and new investment initiatives. Dear friends, of course, in this context, we are witnessing the direct or indirect impact of America's trade and economic policies on Türkiye. We are determined to use bilateral mechanisms more effectively on any issue that could negatively affect our trade in the coming period. We hope that additional customs duties based on reciprocity will not reduce the momentum gained in trade. We are very sensitive to this issue. We see energy and defense industry cooperation with the United States as priority areas. Our defense industry cooperation must be freed from obstacles and restrictions as soon as possible, in accordance with the spirit of alliance. There are many steps we can take in line with our common interests, such as developing new projects in this area, supply chains, and joint production.” “There is a step,” he said.

President Erdoğan, emphasizing that he has held constructive talks with President Trump since the first days of his second term, said, “Our teams continue their work. We expect the positive momentum in our relations to further accelerate by evaluating investment and cooperation opportunities in other strategic sectors, particularly energy, but also cyberspace and other sectors. I attach great importance to increasing mutual investments in addition to trade. Since taking office in 2002, we have undergone a radical transformation in the investment environment in Türkiye. Over the last 23 years, we have increased our share of the global investment pie fivefold. In the first seven months of 2025, we attracted $8.35 billion in international direct investment, and the amount of international direct investment in our country in the last year has reached approximately $14 billion. We recently announced the medium-term program, which serves as a roadmap for the next three years. By 2028, we anticipate increasing our economy to $1.9 trillion and our per capita national income to $21,000. We aim to increase our exports to $300 billion and our tourism revenues to over $70 billion.” we are aiming,” he said.

President Erdoğan stated that they continue to take steps to strengthen a transparent, competitive and secure market environment that will make Türkiye more attractive to investors, and noted the following:

We are initiating a radical transformation in our economy with the decisive steps we are taking in the areas of industrial, green, and digital transformation. Our strong logistics infrastructure, modern ports, and advanced road and rail networks are making Türkiye a strategic hub for investors. Our goal is to attract more investments to our country that generate high added value, support sustainable digital transformation, are climate-friendly, and are knowledge-intensive. A significant portion of American investments aligns with this goal. Our companies' investments in the US have reached $13.2 billion. American companies' investments in our country have reached $15.7 billion. With over 2,000 companies, the US is the second largest investor in our country. We are extremely pleased to see entrepreneurs like you, who have made breakthroughs in their sectors, showing interest in Türkiye. As Turkey, we will continue to be committed to providing a transparent, predictable, and digitalized investment ecosystem and to strongly utilize strategic communication channels with the investment community. You serve as an important bridge between our countries through your mutual investments. I believe your contributions are invaluable in advancing Turkish-American relations in line with our mutual interests. I believe that you, valued businesspeople, whom I consider to be among Türkiye's close friends, can play an important role in explaining our country more effectively to the American public.

President Erdoğan stated that the doors of relevant institutions and organizations in Türkiye and their representatives in the United States are always open to participants, expressed his hope that the meeting would be beneficial, and thanked the participants for their contributions to Turkish-American relations.

DHA