COUNTRY FOCUS

• Airports: Turkey is planning what will be the world’s largest airport. Due to be operational in 2017, Istanbul’s third airport will cost over €7bn, have six runways and handle 150m passengers per year at full capacity. It will add vital capacity in the region and enhance the role of Istanbul, the hub for flag carrier Turkish Airlines.

• Defence technology and security: Turkey’s sector budget increased by 7 per cent to nearly £6.5bn for 2012. Ambitious plans for the air and naval sectors offer opportunities for UK firms.

INWARD INVESTMENT

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for British SMEs with Turkey’s neighbours. The larger economies of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are particularly promising, while other countries such as Georgia and Armenia hold niche interests for UK companies.

British consultant Scott Wilson is an example of this cross-border enterprise. It carried out the detail design for Turkish design/build consortium Makyol and Cengiz on the $160m international airport at Erbil in northern Iraq, funded by the Kurdistan regional government (KRG).

Costain Group and PwC have also won contracts with the KRG, while the National

School of Government is helping to train the KRG civil service.

“In many cases, UK companies may already have substantial business in Turkey and the excellent communications and cultural links between Turkey and its neighbours mean that it is a natural way to do business,” says Turner. “We have held seminars recently featuring main contractors who are active in Turkmenistan and Libya. We are now planning an event to attract UK luxury goods manufacturers to Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.” In addition to the Turkish capital Ankara and the commercial centre of Istanbul,

The UK is also looking to Turkey as a source of inward investment. Recent successes include Turkish firm HDM Steel Pipe, which has set up a £7m factory in Cardiff, creating 38 jobs, and Silk & Cashmere, which opened its first UK store on the iconic Portobello Road, in West London, last autumn. Two more UK outlets are planned for the future. Similarly, Turkish healthcare company Group Florence Nightingale recently opened in London’s Harley Street and will provide healthcare services to the capital’s Turkish-speaking community. UK Trade & Investment has also introduced the firm to contacts at King’s College London regarding a possible future knowledge partnership.

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IMAGES: REX FEATURES