Turkey, at the summit in Istanbul, called on the EU to deepen industrial partnership

Statement at the opening of the Bosphorus Summit

Turkey's Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said on November 5 at the opening of the 17th Bosphorus Summit in Istanbul, organized by the international cooperation platform UIP-ICP, that Turkey is the only country providing the 'economic dynamism and competitiveness that the EU needs,' thanks to its own manufacturing potential. According to him, deepening the long-standing industrial and technological partnership with the European Union will make it possible to address Europe's geostrategic and economic challenges, given Turkey's 30 years of membership in the customs union and its deep integration into the manufacturing chains and value chains of European industry, reports Anadolu.

Made in EU and a bet on investors

Kacır emphasized that including goods of Turkish origin in the Made in EU regulation serves the mutual interests of both sides, and that the path to strengthening Europe's competitiveness lies in deepening mutual ties. He pledged to support investors operating in Turkey, accelerate the green and digital transformation, and diversify export markets. In his assessment, technology is increasingly becoming a factor of geopolitical power — from artificial intelligence and semiconductors to biotechnology and energy systems.

Figures from state programs

The minister cited the parameters of current initiatives. Under the HIT-30 high-technology investment program, Turkey aims to implement $30 billion in high-tech investments with state support by 2030 — in batteries, electric vehicles, solar cells, wind turbines, chips, defense technologies, data centers, AI, and industrial robotics. The technology initiatives program has supported 213 projects which, according to Kacır, will bring $11.3 billion into the country's balance of payments.

AI and data center plan

Turkey's National AI Action Plan for 2026–2030 provides for training at least 5 million people in AI literacy in the first two years, preparing 10,000 advanced-level specialists and 100,000 practitioners of AI applications. Through the National Data Library, access is planned to be opened to at least 2,000 government datasets; the target for data center capacity is at least 1 GW by 2030, with at least $10 billion in private investment to be attracted into data centers and cloud computing. Over the past year, according to the minister, about 300 MW of investment in this field has been mobilized.

Industrial corridors and green financing

Kacır also reported work on four new industrial corridors — mega-zones with social infrastructure, developing along the principles of the circular economy and green manufacturing and facilitating access to global markets — in conjunction with the Development Road projects, the Zangezur corridor, and the Northern Marmara railway crossing. In addition, under the green transformation program, together with the World Bank, more than $1 billion in financing has been provided to manufacturers, small and medium-sized businesses, and startups in green technologies.