By Janet Ekstract, ISTANBUL- The Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek is in the U.S. and began his visit on April 20, according to Anadolu Agency. Simsek will be holding high-level meetings with investors, multilateral development banks and prominent policy institutions as well as speak at think tanks. He is also expected to hold bilateral talks with other finance ministers and meet senior executives from global development banks. Simsek will attend a major investor conference organized by the Turkiye-U.S. Business Council (TAIK) and Citi Group. The event will host a broad group of portfolio investors and representative from the real sector. Simsek is planning to have separate meetings with senior executives at the world’s three leading credit rating agencies. Simsek will also be in Washington to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. On Sunday, Simek had commented that he would hold his initial meetins in New York City with credit rating agencies and U.S.-based direct investors. He also said he plans to meet with representatives from the real sector, especially U.S. firms that plan to switch their supply chains to Turkiye. As Simsek said: “We will also have similar programs in Washington. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is organizing a large-scale conference, where I will deliver a speech.” The Turkish finance minister said his schedule includes between 14-17 bilateral meetings or gatherings per day, hosted by investment banks.
Regarding his meetings at global investment banks, Simsek said there will be large-scale and more exclusive investor meetings with those banks and that he will present evaluations on recent developments in the Turkish economy. He will also share insights on global economic trends and explain economic priorities for Turkiye, going forward. Simsek underscored that he will emphasize Turkiye’s economic program remains unchanged and is supported by a strong political will. Simsek further noted that the Turkish government is determined to implement the program – highlighting Turkiye’s current financial situation is similar to other countries and is expected to be temporary – reflected in market pricing. Accompanying Simsek for his New York visit will be Turkiye’s Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan. On April 22, Simsek will be in Washington D.C. to take part in a summit organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with a key event “The Future of the Financial System” where he will be a featured speaker as well as former World Bank President David Malpass. Also scheduled, is a meeting hosted by the Atlantic Council, a leading U.S. think-tank where Simsek will speak with academics, analysts, policymakers and investors. After his U.S. visit, Simsek will participated in the G20 Finance Ministers’ Meeting and hold talks with senior executives from major multilateral development institutions. These include the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the World Bank, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
