ISTANBUL
Turkey's Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan on Wednesday lashed out at the European Union for its strict visa regime on Turks and Turkish businesspeople, brandishing it as "a human rights violation."
"We have been in the Customs Union for 17 years and we have a resolute stance on integration with the EU. European businesspeople easily visit our country while our businesspeople are asked to get visas. This is for me a human rights violation, a crime against humanity," Caglayan told a meeting of the Turkish-Belgian Business Forum in Istanbul.
Caglayan said children of Turks who arrived in Belgium 20 years ago as foreign workers, were now successful business owners, creating jobs for the economy, adding that Belgians of Turkish descent had assumed important positions in Belgian politics.
Caglayan said trade volume between Turkey and Belgium had reached $6.5 billion from $1.8 billion ten years ago, adding that the current trade figures did not represent the true potentials of the economies of the two countries.
Caglayan also said Turkey planned to invest nearly $250 billion in energy and transportation within the next ten years.
Caglayan hosts luncheon in honor of Belgian Crown Prince
Caglayan hosted a luncheon for the Belgian Crown Prince Philippe at Istanbul's Four Seasons Hotel.
The luncheon took place behind closed doors.
Belgian prince says Turkey's economy source of inspiration
Belgian Crown Prince Philippe has praised Turkey's economy, saying that the country's dynamism and achievements have become "a source of inspiration" for other countries.
"Economic growth over the past ten years has been impressive. Growth rate has reached double-digit figures at certain times. The quality and the dynamism of your labor force is really impressive," the Belgian prince told a meeting of Turkey-Belgium Business Forum in Istanbul on Wednesday.
Philippe said Turkey's GDP almost doubled since his latest visit in the country in 2004, adding that despite political turmoil in the region and economic recession, Turkey had set "some very bold targets" for the future.
