The Board Of Directors at Foreign Economic Relations Board – DEIK, the umbrella organization of all the bilateral business councils, under the leadership of President, Mr. Hisarciklioglu, officially took a decision to establish formally the Turkey-Kosovo Business Council.

The Turkey-Kosovo Business Council will be lead by Mr. Zeki Caliskan. DEIK has been very active on the ground in Kosovo before the independence of the country, and really pushed forth with the creation of this business council soon after the independence.

DEIK, with the establishment of this business council, aims to become a bridge between businessmen in Turkey and Kosovo – a country that is of increasing importance with its proximity to the European market, young population, and special status in the Balkans.

The President of this new business council, Mr. Caliskan is a lawyer and a member of the board of Perfotek, a company that provides services in the areas of communication infrastructure. Perfotek is in fact continuing its talks with Kosovo regarding the creation of the country’s internet infrastructure, as the company specializes in fiber optic communications configuration.

Kosovo is a country that has an economy undergoing real transformation, and has a dynamic population and an appealing geographical location. It represents a country of significant investment opportunities for Turkish companies.

There are, however, a few things that DEIK recommends to create further incentives to companies interested in investing in the country. Some of these can be summarized as below:

• The Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement between Turkey and Kosovo must be implemented, and a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries must be signed as soon as possible.

• As the country is building its infrastructure (government buildings, roads, highways, housing construction etc), there may be opportunities to restore/renovate the remains of the Kosovo-Turkish cultural heritage. Therefore, there may be further investment opportunities for Turkish construction companies.

• The appointment of commercial counselors at the Republic of Turkey’s Coordination Office in Pristina would help with the acceleration of Turkish investments and bilateral trade.