German PM praises Turkish workers' contribution to Germany

Prime Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wust praised the contribution of Turkish workers to the development of Germany speaking at the 8th Turkish-German Economy Day organized by the European Association of Turkish Entrepreneurs and Industrialists (ATIAD) in Dusseldorf.

Wust emphasized their contribution to the prosperity of the state, acknowledging the important role played by Turkish workers who came to Germany in the 1960s.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, home to around 1 million people of Turkish origin, half of whom are German citizens, Wust emphasized the importance of education, where 40% of the state budget is allocated to this sector.

Emphasizing the urgent need for German language education in schools, Wust underlined the opportunities in the fields of artificial intelligence and renewable energy, especially with the recent investments made by companies such as Microsoft.

Wust also underlined the role of international trade in Germany's prosperity and Türkiye as a key partner in this regard.

He praised ATIAD for facilitating cooperation between Turkish and German workers and businesses and emphasized that such partnerships are mutually beneficial for North Rhine-Westphalia and Türkiye.

Hospitality of Türkiye

On the other hand, Finance Minister Christian Lindner reviewed his recent visit to Türkiye together with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and expressed his satisfaction with the warm hospitality he received.

Lindner underlined his meetings with Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek and expressed his support for Türkiye's structural reforms against inflation.

He also stated that the success of BioNTech, a Turkish-German joint venture vaccine manufacturer, is a testament to the success of Turks in Germany.

Lindner also mentioned ongoing discussions with Turkish authorities on efforts to update the Customs Union agreement between Türkiye and the EU and to ease visa procedures for Turkish citizens.

Source: AA