Mr Hakan Akgün, co-chair of the steering committee and Deputy Director General for International Agreements and European Union in the Ministry of Trade of Türkiye, underlined the strategic importance. He said: “Germany is one of the most important trade partners of the Republic of Türkiye. In times of geopolitical challenges, it is crucial to have a strong and reliable partnership between German and Turkish companies. And the Partnering in Business with Germany programme is an essential pillar for developing mutual trust and strengthening cooperation between German and Turkish small and middle-sized companies.”
The close economic relationship between the two countries is a solid basis for this. Germany is Türkiye’s most important trading partner and one of the major investors in the country. At the same time, Türkiye is an important location for production for German companies and a strategic bridge between Europe and the Middle East. More than 8,000 German firms are active in the country. In spite of difficult conditions, Turkish imports from Germany rose by 11% to US$ 25 billion in the period January to October 2025. Demand is high, in particular in the fields of vehicles and vehicle parts, machinery, chemicals and electrical engineering. In return, Germany imports in particular textiles, vehicles, machinery and food from Türkiye.
Specific successes at company level
Current examples of participating companies show how effective the programme is in practice. Cem Sinan Bayazit from the company Element Proje AS gained valuable insights in German technologies for decarbonisation in industry and sees a lot of potential for cooperation. He said: “Participating in the programme provides major opportunities for me. Both in technical terms and personally, the programme offers new prospects for me and I became familiar with innovative technologies. I got important new impetus especially in the field of decarbonisation in industry.”
Ömer Faruk Özdemir, business development manager at KAAF, a Turkish manufacturer of battery-powered manoeuvering locomotives, also makes targeted use of the programme for the establishment of new partnerships. His company is preparing its entry into the German market and is planning to establish a plant in Germany at some point in the future. Mr Özdemir said: “We have established valuable contacts with German companies and identified specific opportunities for future cooperation. At the same time, we have gained a deep understanding of German business culture and see new possibilities for the promotion of joint projects.”
Further development looking ahead
In addition to the positive outcomes, possiblities for improvement were also identified. These include in particular an even more structured matchmaking of Turkish and German business representatives, a more flexible design of the programme format and greater involvement of women. It was underlined that a tailored target group in Türkiye for the programme is particularly important: the great majority of the participants are experienced managers from small and medium-sized enterprises. In 2026, there will be a greater focus on specific sectors. For the first time, there will also be sector-specific groups in the fields of Industrie 4.0, the circular economy and renewable energy. Groups with a focus on specific topics or sectors are also planned for the coming years. The programme thus responds to current economic transformation processes and provides new opportunities for innovation and cooperation.
Photo: @BMWE/Steffen Goldacker
