Türkiye, Germany relations reflected in investment, innovation, German business body says

Saying there is a strong human bridge between Türkiye and Germany, Felix Neugart, CEO of German trade and investment agency NRW.Global Business, said Wednesday that more than a million people of Turkish origin live in Germany and that this relationship is reflected in investment, manufacturing and innovation.

Speaking at the Türkiye-North Rhine-Westphalia Business Forum in Istanbul, organized by Türkiye’s Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) and NRW.Global Business, Neugart said: “There is no region in Europe, let me put it like this: there is no region in the world who has closer connections to Türkiye than North Rhine-Westphalia.”

He said the relationship is built not only on trade, but also on companies that invest, manufacture, innovate and create jobs together.

Neugart said: “We are linked by long-standing industrial value chains. Türkiye offers dynamism, industrial capacity, and a strategic global connection.

“We bring technological expertise, know-how, and we bring access to the huge European market, and this put together our strengths.”

Together, Türkiye and Germany can advance the energy transition, he said, adding that the two countries can also develop more resilient supply chains.

“We can expand the logistics connectivity, and probably most importantly, we can turn innovation into shared business opportunities, and this is exactly what we want to discuss today,” he said.

Referring to speeches and panels at the business forum, Neugart said the signing of several memoranda of understanding was an important signal of the two countries’ shared determination to translate dialogue into lasting partnerships and concrete projects.

Nail Olpak, chair of DEIK, said North Rhine-Westphalia is one of Europe’s industrial heartlands and a natural partner for Turkish business.

Türkiye, with its strong manufacturing base, dynamic private sector and highly competitive companies, is deeply integrated into European and global value chains, Olpak stressed.