Hi Clayton,
Serious interest by foreign and domestic investors will likely push foreign direct investment levels well beyond last year's record $9.7 billion, Economy Minister Ali Babacan said on Monday.
Time was when attracting $1 billion in FDI would have been a good year for Turkey, but expectations have grown with a burgeoning economy operating under fiscal discipline, he said. In 2003 Turkey drew $1.8 billion in FDI, followed by $2.8 billion in 2004 and $9.7 billion in 2005.
?Expert analysts now estimate that 2006 levels of foreign investment could total well above the amount recorded last year,? said Babacan.
The economy minister, also Turkey's chief negotiator for European Union membership accession talks, credited Turkey's strong economic recovery from the financial crisis of 2001 to the economic reform program implemented by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) since it came to power in November 2002.
Thank you
Damien