There is a deep-rooted and very sincere friendship between the Republics of Turkey and Latvia. The Republic of Turkey, of which I am honored to be a citizen, is one of the first countries in the world to recognize the independence of Latvia. Latvia, on the other hand, supports Turkey in its membership process to the European Union.

In addition to these factors, the interest of the Latvian people in Turkey and the touristic trips of many Latvian citizens to our country continue to strengthen our ties. However, we think that the trade activity between our countries is below its potential.

In this context, we established the Latvian-Turkish Businessmen’s Association with our application to Turkish and Latvian official authorities in 2018. 

During our establishment process, we did not only concentrate on business activities. We have set ideals such as better recognition of our countries by our peoples, being able to explain and understand our cultural values, and being a pillar in carrying our friendship to the top. We sincerely thank our esteemed Ambassador Gülsun Erkul and Latvian authorities for their support in this process

 

WHAT WILL LATVIAN-TURKISH BUSINESS PEOPLE DO, WHAT ARE THEIR OBJECTIVES?

First of all, there is the problem of ‘not being able to find a contact’, which the representatives of the business world of the two countries generally voiced during their investment initiatives. This problem is also frequently mentioned by the business world representatives of the two countries. We aim to develop a solution strategy for the system in question together with the official authorities. We will undertake a guiding mission in the bureaucratic phases of the enterprises of Turkish and Latvian business people.

In the field of tourism, both countries have unique natural beauties and historical values. We will work to highlight these values. We will exchange ideas with the representatives of the tourism sector and be active in new moves.

We will focus on health tourism. Turkey has taken its place among the world’s leading countries in this regard. We will carry out studies to inform Latvian citizens of the endless possibilities Turkey offers for surgical operations and health services.

We are in the information age. We are aware of the power of the media. We know very well that all of our work needs to be covered in the media in order to contribute to awareness. We will work on this locally. We are planning to reach important business people of Turkey personally and make a call with printed and digital publications we prepare. We will adjust our plan to cover Latvian business people in the next stage.

We will tell young people who want to study abroad that Latvia is a unique option. We will emphasize to parents that Latvia is one of the most reliable countries in the world, and the importance of being able to speak three languages. We will direct you to authorized experts on critical issues such as school choice and accommodation during the education process. We aim to be a pioneer in triggering an educational tourism.

There are important representatives of the food industry among us. We will benefit from their experience. We will evaluate mutual investments in the food sector. We will introduce the Turkish cuisine, which is one of the richest cuisines in the world, and its flavors.

We will establish a network of information and reporting on business activities between the entrepreneurs of the two countries. We will monitor the Latvian-Turkish commercial relations, evaluate the collected data and share it with the public.

We will assist Turkish and Latvian business people in their implementation by expressing their views on issues such as trade, economy, education and ‘international agreements and relations’.

We will organize events to develop commercial, economic and cultural relations between the two countries and convey our works to the public through PR activities.