ADEM ORHUN / ISTANBUL COMMERCE Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, which is widely known for Tesla cars, visited Turkey and had a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in last November. It was announced following the meeting that Turksat 5A and 5B satellites will be launched to the sky by Falcon 9 rockets of SpaceX. Taking steps that reinforce its position in space; Turkey has evinced the high level of its engineering skills as well as the vast extent of its vision. While the photographs of the meeting in Ankara were shared through the official social media accounts of Turkish Presidency; Ambassador İbrahim Kalın, the Presidential Spokesperson, tweeted about Turkey’s new vision for technological leap, which reads, “Technoparks, 4.5G, a Made in Turkey car, Turksat 5A, 5B satellites, Turkish-Japanese University of Science and Technology, defense industry products, UAV and AUAV, HÜRKUŞ training aircraft, domestic software development… Turkey continues taking major steps in the field of technology.” ERDOĞAN, SPACEX CEO DISCUSS NEW TURKISH SATELLITES President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Elon Musk discuss Turkish communications satellite fleet Turksat President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, and Science, Industry and Technology Minister Faruk Özlü attended the launch of the automobile industry domestic joint venture group at the presidential palace. TURKEY LAUNCHES JOINT VENTURE FOR FIRST INDIGENOUS CAR Turkey launched a joint venture to produce its first domestically-produced car in capital Ankara. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, and Science, Industry and Technology Minister Faruk Özlü attended the launch of the automobile industry domestic joint venture group at the presidential palace. Erdoğan announced that five automotive supplier firms - Anadolu Group, BMC, Kıraça Holding, Turkcell, and Zorlu Holding - will jointly manufacture Turkey’s first car. The president expressed his gratitude to the firms and promised his “full support” for the venture. “I will closely follow the developments,” he added. The initiative came after repeated calls from Erdoğan for a joint project of The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and the Science, Industry and Technology Ministry. Erdoğan said he expected the prototype of first domestically-produced car would be ready in 2019 and sales would start in 2021. “I want to own the first of the domestically-manufactured automobile, provided that I will pay for it,” he said. SEVEN OF SOME 69 TECHNOPARKS ARE IN ISTANBUL Turkey materializes its innovation and production strength in technology, software and design at the modern Technology Development Zones (TDZ). In Turkey, there are 69 Technology Development Zones (technoparks), 55 of which are operational and 14 of which are under construction. While 7 TDZs are located in İstanbul; 8 zones are active in Ankara, 4 in Kocaeli, 4 in İzmir and two zones are situated in Konya and Gaziantep. Following the issue of the R&D Package, the first Specialization TDZ of Turkey was announced. The establishment of Dokuz Eylül Healthcare Specialization Technology Development Zone was published within the issue, dated October 20, 2017, of the Official Gazette. At Technopark İstanbul, which was established jointly by İstanbul Chamber of Commerce and the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries as the principal stockholders; some 2 thousand and 750 R&D staff members of 170 enterprises work on 700 national projects. The number of R&D enterprises at Technopark İstanbul will increase to 300 and the area of the technopark will grow to 12 thousand squaremeters while the number of entrepreneurs at the Incubation Center will rise to 150 upon the completion of the construction of the blocks of the second stage, which will enable our country to take major steps towards Industry 4.0. PRODUCTION PHASE FOR TURKSAT-6A INITIATED The design phase for Turksat-6A, Turkey’s first completely domestically- produced communications satellite project, is nearly complete, and production of the testing models for proficiency tests has been initiated. When Turksat-6A is commissioned in 2020, Turkey will have become one of the 10 countries, which are capable of producing communications satellites. JOINT UNIVERSITY WITH JAPAN Japan, a pioneer nation in technology, and Turkey has launched a new cooperation for the future. The Act on the Establishment of Turkish-Japanese University of Science and Technology has been brought into force. The university will operate on the basis of the agreement, inked between Turkey and Japan in June 2016. The university will benefit the use of a public land plot in Pendik; and faculty members will have the opportunity to conduct globally influential academic and technological studies. NEXT GENERATION BASIC TRAINING AIRCRAFT: HÜRKUŞ The Next Generation Basic Training Aircraft (HÜRKUŞ) Development Program, which had been launched in 2006 under the agreement signed between the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries and TUSAŞ (Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc.), has been completed successfully. HÜRKUŞ, produced with an original design to serve as a basic training aircraft that is capable of meeting national needs, has proven its quality. HÜRKUŞ, unveiled in 2012 by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Prime Minister of the time, during the roll-out ceremony, performed the test flights in 2013, and was excelled to gain the required certifications in 2016. HÜRKUŞ, which was awarded TT32 Aircraft Type Certificate by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has become the first Turkish aircraft to be awarded an “EASA Validation Type Certificate” by the Joint Aviation Authorities. FALCONS OF THE SKY One of the concrete outcomes of the ongoing endeavors oriented at national security as well as the development of technology-intensive products has been the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) effectively use UAVs in its fight against terrorism. And now, armed unmanned aerial vehicles (AUAV) are no longer a distant dream as Turkey has become one of the countries, which most effectively make use of UAVs and AUAVs for air space control. The new generation Armed Bayraktar Tactical Block 2 (TB2) UAVs, which have been entirely designed and developed through domestic efforts, have provided Turkey with priceless experience in the development of technological products, software and the use of smart ammunitions. ADVANCEMENTS IN THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIES The overall turnover of the enterprises operating in defense and aviation industries in Turkey has attained USD5.968 bio as of the end of 2016 while the amount of defense and aviation product exports has actualized as USD1.953 bio. While, in 2002, only 66 projects had been implemented with some 80 percent foreign-source dependency ratio; some 553 projects were implemented with an indigenousness ratio over 65 percent, last year. The new versions of HÜRKUŞ are being unveiled. In the mean time; heavy-armored personnel carriers such as Kirpi, Cobra II, Ejder Yalçın have started attracting interest at international fairs. Besides, ATAK helicopter, both the project phase and the tests of which are being closely followed closely by numerous countries, will not only address to Turkey’s security needs but also provide a high added value for the country’s export performance. COMMUNICATIONS AT 5G SPEED 4G mobile communication in Turkey, where the GSM operators had started to provide 3G services in 2009, was launched on April 1, 2016. The next stop in the next generation communication is 5G, which will bring along conveniences for not only communications but also for the daily life as well as a broad range of industries. 5G will enable rapid excellence and fairly short delay times. Since President Erdoğan has set the goal to actualize 5G, the industry has already commenced its efforts taking concrete steps to ensure that geographical scope of mobile communication penetration extends to the furthest points of the country. To that end, the domestically developed base station Ulak has been produced. The endeavors undertaken will also serve to the reinforcement of national experience for 5G.

01 Şubat 2018 Perşembe

Six of the world’s 10 megaprojects over the last decade took place or are taking place in Turkey, the nation’s prime minister said. “In the last 10 years, there have been 10 major projects in the world, despite the global economic crisis. I am glad to share with you that six of the 10 projects belong to Turkey,” Binali Yıldırım said in a speech in İstanbul. The projects include the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Marmaray Tunnel, Eurasia Tunnel, and the world’s largest airport -all in İstanbul- as well as the Gulf of İzmit’s Osmangazi Bridge and the İzmir highway. TOTAL OF $65 MILLION IN MEGA PROJECTS He added: “Almost all of these projects have been built through a public-private partnership, except for the Marmaray.” The total price tag of the projects is some $65 million, he said. On İstanbul’s new airport, expected to open next year, Prime Minister Yıldırım said that it had not been built out of desire for fame. “We read the future of the world,” he added. “This is the future of the world: the center of wealth is moving from the West to East.” He said that the center of aviation had moved from America in the 1970s, to Western Europe in the 1980s, to Central Europe in the 1990s, and now Turkey is the center of aviation. “This is an enormous project with a 200 million-passenger capacity and six runways,” the prime minister added. THE EURASIA TUNNEL The Eurasia Tunnel, the first road tunnel constructed underneath the Bosphorus seabed, significantly reduces travel time between İstanbul’s Asian and European sides. THE WORLD’S LARGEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE The earthquake-resistant Osmangazi Bridge, the world’s largest suspension bridge, has a 2,682-meter structure. The bridge over Turkey’s Marmara Sea cuts travel times between İstanbul and the country’s western provinces and is part of the new six-lane İstanbul-İzmir highway. THIRD BRIDGE ACROSS İSTANBUL’S BOSPHORUS The 1,4-kilometer (0,9-mile) Yavuz Sultan Selim is the third bridge across İstanbul’s Bosphorus, and the world’s longest suspension rail bridge in its class. MAKING ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST TRANSPORTATION HUBS The new airport in İstanbul - the only new airport planned and being constructed in Europe - will assume most passenger traffic from Atatürk International Airport. When it is completed in 2018, some 250 airlines are set to fly from the airport to more than 350 destinations, making it one of the world’s largest transportation hubs. LONGEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE Çanakkale 1915 Bridge, which will be the world’s longest suspension bridge when completed. FROM ASIAN TO THE EUROPEAN SIDE IN UNDER FOUR MINUTES The 13,6-km Marmaray Tunnel, built 60 m below sea level, has shortened the journey between the metropolitan city’s Asian and European sides to just four minutes. İSTANBUL’S NEW OPERA HOUSE TO OPEN IN 2019 New Atatürk Cultural Center building will be ‘symbolic’ site of İstanbul. An iconic cultural center in İstanbul’s teeming Taksim Square will be rebuilt a new as an opera house, scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2019, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced. Erdoğan said the new Atatürk Cultural Center, known by its Turkish initials AKM, would be a “symbolic” site of İstanbul. The president also saidthe project would be carried out by Murat Tabanlıoğlu, the son of one of the building’s first architects, Hayati Tabanlıoğlu.This shows “we take strength from history”, Erdoğan added. CAPACITY TO WELCOME 2,500 PEOPLE The Atatürk Cultural Center, originally designed as a theater building by French architect Auguste Perret, was built in 1946. The building was destroyed when a fire broke out during a play in 1970. It was reopened in 1977. The new cultural center willboastthe capacity to welcome 2,500 people. Moreover, giant screens will display shows outside the building, according to President Erdoğan.President Erdoğan also announced that Taksim Square would be entirely pedestrianised with a no-car zone around the AKM.

01 Şubat 2018 Perşembe

A setting of majestic beauty, an enviable climate, and an unsurpassed quality of life... Istanbul is one of the most dynamic and diverse economies in Europe. No wonder Istanbul is a magnet for intelligent, talented people from around the world. Creative, entrepreneurial citizens make Istanbul an innovation incubator - a place where new ideas, products and services are born. INVEST IN ISTANBUL IS NOW ACTIVELY OPERATING! Istanbul is a world class city of opportunities, competing successfully as one of World’s one of top investment destinations. In this respect, Invest in Istanbul has been founded as the official organization, whose specific goal is to consolidate the investment support and promotion services in Istanbul. The platform is coordinated by Istanbul Development Agency in partnership with the Governorship of Istanbul, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and Istanbul Chamber of Industry; aiming to promote Istanbul’s investment opportunities and assist international investors throughout all bureaucratic steps necessary for starting up their businesses in Istanbul. On June 21st, Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali YILDIRIM and Governor of Istanbul Vasip SAHIN, accompanied with Mayor of Istanbul, Kadir TOPBAS, have officially opened Invest in Istanbul’s new office located in Beyoğlu, which is one of the landmarks of Istanbul. A REAL ONE STOP SHOP STRIVING FOR YOUR BUSINESS Operating on full confidentiality, this brand new organization’s services embrace not only the consultation and business facilitation practices but also handling all the processes of starting a business via a single office. Investors from all around the world are informed about business procedures as well as investment opportunities and provided insights into economic outlook in the city. Invest in Istanbul brings together the wide range of businesses to share best practice, collaborate and innovate. Besides, Invest in Istanbul is responsible for informing and guiding investors in the direction of setting up businesses, taking necessary measures to overcome obstacles that investors encounter in the city, investment incentives in the region, monitoring investments, informing investors about business opportunities, matchmaking, networking and guiding investors on related application conditions. IN BRIEF… In addition to promoting Istanbul as an investment destination, Invest in Istanbul facilitates investors’ bureaucratic transactions by means of following legal procedures in order to obtain licenses and necessary permissions from public authorities on behalf of investors. These legal procedures involve assistance with establishing business operations, work and resident permit applications, incentive applications, environmental impact assessment processes, and other relevant licenses. Every phase is handled with a result-oriented approach aimed at facilitating and accelerating bureaucratic procedures from beginning to end. A HYBRID STRUCTURE INVOLVING GOVERNMENT & PRIVATE SECTOR Invest in Istanbul carries out its services with the cooperation of prominent partners in the city; among which are governmental bodies, local stakeholders and business & trade associations. This synergy will no doubt add value to the investment climate of the most prospective city of the world: Istanbul! INVEST IN ISTANBUL IN SOCIAL MEDIA Invest in Istanbul’s popularity is exponentially rising in social media. Here is the list of official social media accounts of this brand new organization. ISTANBUL FACT SHEET HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN 11 LANGUAGES! Istanbul Fact sheet is the yearly publication of Istanbul Development Agency which introduces the investment environment of the city along with a focus on economy, business life and culture as well as recent developments on wide range of issues. This guide book, now edited by Invest in Istanbul, is available in 11 languages.

12 Eylül 2017 Salı

CEO Mr Sirk stated that over the last 20 years İstanbul has established itself as a “premier league” player in the international association meetings market while there have been significant improvements in infrastructure and professional capacity for the rest of the country, with Turkish Airlines further enhancing the overall picture with its ambitious, global network. Turkey and İstanbul have acted as an invaluable bridge between East and the West, Europe and the Middle East, between cultures and communities. Challenges currently confronting Turkey can blind us to this vital role of the country as a bridge among cultures in our global industry, and we hope to identify some practical solutions and ideas that will help our members reinstate long-term growth and development in Turkey’s meetings industry. İSTANBUL: THE PLACE TO BE İstanbul CVB’s General Manager Hicran Ozbuk said: ‘‘We are extremely pleased to have the full support of ICCA. İstanbul has a magnificent history, having been the capital of no less than three different empires, and has been a mercantile trade center for many centuries. We are confident that İstanbul will continue to be the top destination for meetings and conference tourism in 2017 and beyond. In 2016, the city hosted a number of well-attended congresses. In addition, İstanbul welcomed over 11.9 million international visitors in 2016 (as per MasterCard Report), and this makes the city one of the top 10 most visited cities in the world. We strongly believe that İstanbul will continue as “the place to be” for both business and leisure purposes. 2017 CONGRESSES IN İSTANBUL We also focus on congresses that are scheduled for İstanbul 2017. We will be hosting some top of the game congresses with a large number of delegates in 2017, among which we can cite the World Petroleum Congress (WPC) with 5.000 delegates, the Apimondia International Apicultural Congress with 8.000 delegates, World Conference of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP), WFNS World Congress of Neurosurgery and World Congress of Aesthetic Medicine. 2ND ENERGY EFFICIENT PRODUCTS EXHIBITION BY İSTANBUL EXPO CENTER “1st Energy Efficient Products Exhibition” was organised by World Trade Center İstanbul, which is the umbrella organisation of the Turkish exhibition industry, on November 4-5, 2016 at İstanbul Expo Center Hall 11, under the patronage of Energy Efficiency Association, an affiliate of İstanbul Chamber of Commerce. The trade show aimed to contribute to the advancement of the energy sector by providing a platform to share the latest developments and best practices in the energy efficient products industry, as well as to increase general awareness of the public. The 2nd Energy Efficient Products Exhibition will take place at İstanbul Expo Center on November 23-26, 2017. Following the success of the first trade show, this year’s event is expected to draw a high level of attention from energy sector. İSTANBUL TO HOST WFNS WFNS -The 16th World Congress of Neurosurgery will be held in İstanbul between 20-25 August 2017. Prior to the event, the representatives of WFNS paid a visit to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Governor’s Office of İstanbul with the support of Istanbul CVB. General Manager of İstanbul CVB Hicran Özbük, President of WFNS Yong-Kwang Tu, Secretary General of WFNS Basant Misra, Lecturer of Koç University Faculty of Medicine Prof. Dr. İhsan Solaroğlu, President of Turkish Neurosurgery Society Prof. Dr. Uğur Türe, Vice President of Turkish Neurosurgery Society Prof. Dr. Talat Kırış and members of organisation committee met with officials from the City of İstanbul. At the meeting, Governor of İstanbul, Vasip Şahin stated that: “İstanbul is a brand name in congress tourism. We will take of care of all needs for the WFNS congress and make it a success’’. Mayor of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Dr. Kadir Topbaş added: “İstanbul has the facilities and infrastructure for these kind of important congresses. We are pleased to host the 16th WFNS-World Congress of Neurosurgery in İstanbul.” FAV TURKEY EXPO IN SEPTEMBER 2017 Turkey continues to strengthen its position as a trade bridge between Europe and Asia, producing nearly 50 million tons of fresh vegetable and fruits, building world’s largest airport in the world to be operational in 2018 as a connection point for Beijing and London, and launching the Channel Istanbul Project which will be a breakthrough in marine transportation while it also takes the first step to host the greatest global event in fresh vegetable and fruit industry, FAV Turkey. FAV Turkey - Fruit and Vegetable Expo and Summit will be organised at İstanbul Expo Center on September 28 -October 01, 2017 and will be the gathering point for fresh fruit and vegetable trade in the region. FAV Turkey is planned to be one the most significant exhibitions, not only in Turkey but also in the entire region. FAV Turkey will bring small and medium sized producers as well as the national and global players under the same roof, and will help further enhance cooperation among industry stakeholders. All industry actors including producers, exporters, packagers, cold storage and cold chain firms, machine and equipment suppliers, logistics firms, wholesalers, retailers, hotels, restaurants, catering firms and service providers will have a chance to meet in Istanbul and develop new partnerships to grow business in the region and set new trends. For further information, pls visit: www.favturkey.com

15 Haziran 2017 Perşembe

Acting as an important market for multilateral companies to access neigbouring countries, Turkey closed 2016 with a total FDI amount of USD 12.3 bln. Despite a 13% contraction in global financial markets in 2016, Turkish FDI market is set show an upward trend in 2017. With Turkey estimated to have a 1.5% share of the global FDI market in 2017, Arda Ermut, President of the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of the Office of the Prime Minister said “2017 will be a great year”. 2017 - A PEAK YEAR FOR FDI Ermut highlighted that 2006 and 2007 topped the charts for Turkey with a USD 22 bln in FDI for the latter and USD 18.3 bln for 2006. 2006 waswas a record breaking year with Turkey receiving 1.36% share from global investments. Indicating that Turkey’s share of global investments in 2016 declined to 1% as a possible repercussion of the global and regional conflicts, Ermut said this figure however can easily go up to 1.5% in the short run, considering Turkey’s immense potential. INVESTORS GO BY THE LONG TERM POTENTIAL Ermut added that international investors adopt a long term perspective: “Therefore temporary conditions, heated political exchanges, or even currency fluctuations only partially impact investment decisions. The rest of the picture is shaped by a long term view - some delays might occur due to the above mentioned issues however if Turkey is put on the investment agenda, decisions do materialise in a positive way sooner or later. İSTANBUL AS A MANAGEMENT HUB FOR COMPANIES Proximity to important markets is a major advantage for Turkey as investors who choose Turkey for their operations also gain easy access to neighbouring countries. Using Turkey as a hub to reach 1.6 bln people and markets with 27 trln GDP within a four hour flight means it can very effectively serve as a management hub for global companies. Two good examples in this regard are Coca Cola and Microsoft, which manage 94 and 80 countries out of İstanbul respectively. II ROADS LEAD TO TURKEY FOR THE NATURAL GAS STORY At the crossroads of various trade routes and posing a significant advantage geographically, Turkey is a destination of choice for the largest names in production and consumption of natural gas, and serves as a transmission route from the gas-rich countries to Europe.

15 Haziran 2017 Perşembe