Turkish workers in North Rhine-Westphalia move Germany forward: German official

By Bahattin Gonultas

BERLIN (AA) - Turkish workers in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia move Germany forward, Minister-President Hendrik Wust said at the 8th Turkish-German Economy Day event held in Dusseldorf by the Association of Turkish Entrepreneurs and Industrialists in Europe (ATIAD).

Wust noted that the sacrifice of Turks migrating to Germany in the 1960s has contributed to the prosperity of Germany, with 1 million people of Turkish origin now living in North Rhine-Westphalia, half of whom are German citizens.

He said his government prioritizes education, as it spends 40% of the state budget in that field, highlighting the urgent need to teach German to children in schools.

Wust underlined that there are significant opportunities to be seized in artificial intelligence and renewable energy, now that the US tech firm Microsoft invested in North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as the state’s being a hot spot for foreign investors in Germany.

He attributed Germany’s prosperity to international trade, stating that Türkiye is in the top five in this field.

Wust added that ATIAD contributes to making Turkish and German workers and businesspeople come together, highlighting that the collaboration is a win-win situation for North Rhine-Westphalia and Türkiye.

- ⁠Germany in talks with Turkish authorities to update EU Customs Union agreement

Finance Minister Christian Lindner said he felt welcomed with great hospitality in Türkiye when he accompanied President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on a visit from April 22 to 24.

Lindner mentioned that he spoke to his Turkish counterpart, Mehmet Simsek, during the visit, wishing him success in the structural reforms against inflation Türkiye has put forth.

Citing the success of the Turkish-German-owned vaccine-maker BioNTech, Lindner emphasized that there have been many success stories by Turkish people in Germany.

He noted that the number of foreign investors in Germany has been in decline for six consecutive years, signaling a need to change.

He added that they are in talks with Turkish officials on updating the EU Customs Union agreement between Türkiye and the bloc, and they want visa procedures to be carried out faster for Turkish nationals.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim in Istanbul