German CEO: No region closer to Türkiye than North Rhine-Westphalia

Felix Neugart, chief executive of the German trade and investment agency NRW.Global Business, said Wednesday that no region in the world maintains closer economic and cultural connections to Türkiye than North Rhine-Westphalia, citing a "strong human bridge" of more than a million people of Turkish origin living in Germany and noting that this relationship is visibly reflected in investment flows, manufacturing partnerships and innovation networks. Speaking at the Türkiye-North Rhine-Westphalia Business Forum in Istanbul, organized by Türkiye's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) and NRW.Global Business, Neugart stated: "There is no region in Europe, let me put it like this: there is no region in the world who has closer connections to Türkiye than North Rhine-Westphalia."

Complementary strengths

Neugart emphasized that the bilateral relationship extends beyond traditional commerce to encompass companies that invest together, manufacture jointly, innovate collaboratively and create employment on both sides. "We are linked by long-standing industrial value chains," he said, describing how Türkiye offers significant dynamism, substantial industrial capacity and strategic global connections while Germany brings advanced technological expertise, specialized know-how and privileged access to the huge European market.

He added that combining these complementary strengths would allow both nations to accelerate the energy transition, develop substantially more resilient supply chains and expand logistics connectivity across Eurasia. Neugart stressed that converting innovation into shared business opportunities remains the most important objective, noting that this transformation formed the primary discussion point of the Wednesday forum.

Institutional partnerships

Nail Olpak, chair of DEIK, told attending executives that North Rhine-Westphalia stands as one of Europe's premier industrial heartlands and represents a natural strategic partner for Turkish business, emphasizing that Türkiye's robust manufacturing base, dynamic private sector and highly competitive export-oriented companies are already deeply integrated into European and global value chains. During the proceedings, DEIK and NRW.Global Business signed a formal cooperation agreement to institutionalize future collaboration, while eight separate business deals were concluded between Turkish and German enterprises. Neugart said these memoranda of understanding signal the shared determination of both governments to translate ongoing dialogue into lasting commercial partnerships and concrete projects.