Foreign direct investment in Turkey soars by 75 pct
2012-07-06 15:08:05
Turkey drew $15.9 billion in direct international investment in 2011, according to the World Investment Report issued by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) yesterday.
The investments increased 75.7 percent when compared to 2010, said Secretary-General Özlem Özyi?it of the International Investors Association of Turkey (YASED). YASED discloses the report in Turkey on behalf of UNCTAD every year.
The amount of direct international investment in the world rose 16.5 percent and exceeded $1.5 trillion in 2011, Özyi?it said, adding that there is still some time to go before the pre-crisis level, which was $1.98 trillion in 2007, is reached again. The figure will hit $1.6 trillion this year, according to the UNCTAD forecast.
Turkey’s goal is to exceed $15 billion in 2012, and reach $20 billion, which was a pre-crisis figure, Özyi?it said.
“We primarily wish to see Turkey first reach the $20 billion pre-crisis level [in direct international investments], and higher investment levels to be sustainable in line with Turkey’s constantly increasing [economic] potential in its region and the world,” Özyi?it said.
Turkey’s share in the total direct investments in the world increased from 0.7 percent to 1 percent in 2011, while its share in the total direct investments among 173 developing countries rose to 2 percent from 1.4 percent, Özyi?it said.