US investors see Turkey's business environment positive

By Abdulselam Durdak and Yunus Turk

ISTANBUL (AA) - The U.S. business people in Turkey see the country's investment environment positive although the Turkish economy has been facing some problems with foreign currencies, inflation and interest rates since mid-2018.

With the government's measures, the country entered a rebalancing period since the first quarter of this year.

Howard Beasey, Middle East and Africa regional manager of Will-Burt -- a global manufacturer of integrated towers and masts for lighting, communication, and surveillance purposes -- said the U.S. investors are happy to do business in Turkey.

"We see Turkey as a really good investment environment for us," Beasey, also the former chairman of the American-Turkish Council, told Anadolu Agency.

Although Turkey and the U.S. have some issues, more recently in the defense sector, "we believe there are many other opportunities to do business together to grow our industries in multiple sectors," he added.

Beasey also said the defense sector was the beating heart for the relations between Turkey and the U.S. for many years.

Turkey is not only a country of good engineering and labor standards, but also one with a very competitive cost of labor, he said.

He also stressed that Turkey is a hub for U.S. business people to access the African, Middle Eastern, Central Asian and European markets.

- Good investment climate

Patrick Anderson, the CEO of Anderson Economic Group, a consulting firm in public policy and business which has been operating in Turkey since 2012, said that Turkey had troubles but it will turn the corner and surmount the difficulties.

Turkey is a very attractive country for investments with competitive business costs, he underlined.

Anderson said that for a lot of people in the U.S. and Europe, Turkey seems like a very distant country.

"But Turkey has a lot of trained people for industry, and the Turkish people are very warm. I am not Turkish by birth, and I only speak a little Turkish but I really enjoy the country and the people," he added.

*Writing and contributions by Gokhan Ergocun