According to a report on the February balance of payments released by the Central Bank of Turkey on Monday, Turkish FDI totaled $153 million in the January-February period of this year. Of this figure, 43.8 percent was invested in Middle Eastern countries, up from $43 million a year earlier, to $67 million, representing a rise of 55.9 percent. The total amount of investments made in this region since 2002 until the end of February reached $2.86 billion, while overall investments made abroad during this period amounted to $11.37 billion.
Turkish FDI made in the Gulf countries in the first two months of the year totaled $22 million. In this period, Azerbaijan received the greatest amount of investment from Turkey, with $38 million.
The manufacturing industry saw the highest amount of investments made abroad by Turks since 2002, accounting for 62 percent of Middle Eastern investments and 53.42 percent of overall investments. During this period, the service sector accounted for 38 percent of total investments made in the Middle East and 46.45 percent in overall investments.
Turks’ investments in Europe, on the other hand, suffered an 88 percent drop in the January-February period over the same months of 2009, totaling $60 million. With $18 million, the Netherlands became the top country receiving the greatest investments from Turkey, followed by Russia and Switzerland with $8 million each.
