The Lord Mayor of London, Alderman David Wootton, is to lead a delegation to Turkey next week.
Corporation of London officials say the visit is part of “a concerted effort” to achieve the coalition’s target of doubling bilateral trade between the UK and Turkey to $18 billion by 2015.
During the visit the Lord Mayor will meet with the Turkish President Abdullah Gül, Minister of Economy Zafer Caglayan, business leaders and leading legal practitioners.
Lord Mayor David Wootton said: “As the Eastern and Western international gateways into Europe, Turkey and the UK share several areas of common strategic interest.
“Our financial and commercial ties are particularly crucial, which is why I hope this visit will help to facilitate the two-way flow of trade and investment that will deliver jobs and growth in both countries.
“Turkey is already Europe’s fastest growing economy and a market that British companies cannot afford to overlook. London remains a leading global financial centre and the single most internationally focused financial market place in the world.
“We have a wealth of expertise and innovative financing models that could benefit Turkey and help fulfil the Government’s key priority of making Istanbul one of the top 10 financial centres by 2023.”
