HANS TIMBREMONT Consul General of Belgium in İstanbul
WITH THE CONTRIBUTION OF TURKEY, THE SUCCESS OF THE EU WILL CONTINUE IN YEARS TO COME
	-
As you know the Turkish Belgian Commercial Association celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. Since its creation in 1926, the Association constitutes a bond of friendship and mutual respect between our two countries. The Association is one of the earliest bilateral chambers of commerce that were founded in Turkey and, as such, personifies the importance Belgium attached to the young Turkish Republic, created only a few years earlier. In this our country built upon a commercial presence that finds its origin in the first decade of our independence which was first illustrated – in 1838 – by the conclusion of a Friendship and Commercial Treaty between the Kingdom of Belgium and the Ottoman Empire. Long before the end of the 19th century, Belgian businessmen played a prominent role in the policy of modernisation and industrialisation of the Sultan in areas as diverse as textile, electricity, gas, public transport and finance. When celebrating this anniversary we should also look towards the future. In that respect we have plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Our trade relations are in excellent form, as shown by this year’s impressive growth in the bilateral trade volume. From the perspective of Belgian exporters, the Turkish market rivals that of China in size. Already more than 50 Belgian companies, representing an extensive range of economical activities have moved into Turkey. In that way they are well placed to take advantage of future growth opportunities.. I am pleased to note that today our trade relations have reached a new level of maturity, where the old – and too simplistic – logic of achieving a bilateral trade surplus has given way to a win-win approach. Today, while we send our exports with growing success to Turkish markets, we also lobby Turkish companies to use our harbours and distribution facilities to export their products to customers in the whole of Europe. We welcome the increasing number of Belgian companies that want to consolidate their presence in the Turkish market by investing locally. At the same time we are delighted to see that more and more Turkish companies make investments in Belgium. In this way, our bilateral economical relations have really become a two way street. An evolution, which the Turkish Belgian Commercial Association, as its name shows, had already anticipated 80 years ago. I have already spoken about the many ties that have linked us in the past and that still link us today. And the Turkish Belgian Chamber of Commerce is an excellent example of both. Soon, of course, we will have even more in common, when we will be able to welcome Turkey as a member of the European Union. Today Belgium remains the 10th trading nation in world. This means that in trade terms, we are punching above our weight. This achievement would have been impossible without the peace and prosperity that the European Union has made possible. I have no doubt that with the eagerly awaited contribution of Turkey, the success of the EU will continue in years to come.