Italian Ambassador Carlo Marsili said on Friday that Italy wants to expand its investments, currently concentrated in the western parts of Turkey, to the entirety of the country.
Marsili told reporters in Adana that economic relations between the two countries have gradually strengthened, noting that the number of Italian companies operating in Turkey has reached 700. He said Italian investment in Turkey amounted to $5 billion, while the trade volume between the two countries exceeded $19 billion.
Marsili said Italian companies in Turkey operated primarily in the industrial sector as well as in cement, banking and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Marsili said they wanted to expand Italian investment, which is concentrated in the west of the country, to other parts of Turkey, noting that they were making assessments on cities such as Adana, Gaziantep, Konya and Kayseri.
Meanwhile, British mobile phone giant Vodafone has vowed to increase its investments in Turkey, reiterating its commitment to continuing operations despite a recent plunge in its subscriber numbers in the country. “Our investments in Turkey are long-term and we are looking forward to presenting our 3G products,” Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao said in a written statement on Friday. He added that the company would allocate half of its 2009 revenues to investments.
Source: www.todayszaman.com, 09 May 2009