12 February 2016•Update: 12 February 2016
ANKARA
The head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will visit Turkey on Feb. 16-18 to discuss the government’s reform agenda.
Suma Chakrabarti will travel to Gaziantep province, in the country’s southeast, one of the regions most affected by the refugee crisis, to assess better how the bank can respond to the needs of refugee-hosting communities, the EBRD said written statement on Friday.
Chakrabarti will hold talks with top Turkish officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek who is responsible for the Turkish economy, in Ankara.
On Feb. 18, Chakrabarti will address the FT-EBRD Central Asia Investment Forum alongside Simsek in Istanbul.
"The event will bring together leading investors, policymakers, economists and experts in Central Asia, including Mongolia, to discuss the future of the region and the prospects for investment," the statement said.
“The EBRD is in Turkey to support the country with investment and policy dialogue as the country is facing external challenges and preparing major internal reforms to realize its long-term economic potential," Chakrabarti said.
“At the same time, with its close cultural, transport and economic links to the Central Asian region, Turkey plays the role of a regional hub and we have chosen to bring investors and policy-makers to Istanbul to discuss practicalities of doing business in Central Asia.”
The EBRD is a leading investor in Turkey and currently operates from offices in Istanbul, Ankara and Gaziantep.
The bank said that it has invested over €7 billion [$7.8 billion] in Turkey through 180 projects in infrastructure, energy, agribusiness, industry and finance.
"It has also mobilized about €16 billion for these ventures from other sources of financing," the statement added.
