Hurriyet Daily News
April 18 2010

Delegation of Turkish businesspeople to visit Washington

Sunday, April 18, 2010
ISTANBUL ` Anatolia News Agency

A delegation from the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s
Association, or TÃ`SÄ°AD, will travel to United States and Spain, which
currently holds the rotating EU presidency, this week for a series of
talks.

The TÃ`SÄ°AD delegation will be in Washington, D.C., on Monday and
Tuesday to meet officials from the U.S. National Security Council, the
International Monetary Fund, the Department of Commerce and the State
Department, as well as representatives from the Brookings Institution,
the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Turkish and
American media outlets.

Led by Chairwoman Ã`mit Boyner, the delegation will also meet with
Turkish Ambassador Namık Tan.

During their talks, TÃ`SÄ°AD members will express their displeasure with
recent developments related to Armenian allegations of `genocide’
during World War I, the association said in a statement Friday.

Following their talks in Washington, the delegation will travel to
Spain to meet with King Juan Carlos, Prime Minister Jose Luis
Rodriguez Zapatero and Spanish State Secretary for European Affairs
Diego Lopez Garrido on Wednesday and Thursday.

Turkish businessmen will also hold meetings with officials from
several ministries and the Confederation of Employers and Industries
of Spain, or CEOE, the top Spanish business organization.

TÃ`SÄ°AD and the CEOE inked a protocol in 2007 to boost cooperation.
During their meeting, members of the Turkish delegation will inform
their Spanish counterparts about the current economic situation in
Turkey.

Recent years have seen a significant rise in economic activity between
Spain and Turkey as trade volume reached 5.7 billion euros, including
3 billion euros in Turkish exports to Spain. Major trade items include
automotive products, textiles and chemicals.