ANKARA—Ambassador-designate to Turkey Raul S. Hernandez met with high-level representatives of industries in Istanbul last June as part of the Philippine Embassy’s trade and investment promotion efforts highlighting 70 years of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Turkey.
Hernandez and Otokar’s General Manager Serdar Görgüç discussed the Turkish vehicle manufacturer’s existing tenders to supply the Armed Forces of the Philippines with defense capabilities, as part of the latter’s modernization program.
Otokar’s interests in the Philippines extend beyond defense, as it is also looking into the possibility of investing in an automotive-production facility to assemble vehicles in the Philippines to support the government’s public-utility vehicle modernization program.
The ambassador-designate also held a meeting with Elginkan Chairman Gaye Akçen. Elginkan’s ceramic line of sanitary wares Serel has been selected to fit-out the New Clark City Sports Complex for use in the upcoming Southeast Asian Games.
Hernandez encouraged Akçen to formally launch its product line in the Philippines to help generate awareness of the brand and their countries’ seven decades of bilateral relations. The two officials also discussed the Turkish company’s plans to set up a manufacturing facility in the Philippines and make it a hub for Southeast Asian markets.
Hernandez and Istanbul Chamber of Industry President Erdal Bahçıvan agreed on the need to harness the potential for more expansive trade and investments between the two countries, and launch projects to underscore their long-held bilateral relations.
Among the projects discussed are to feature an article on the Philippines in the chamber’s magazine; hold Philippine Country Days, which include a presentation about the Philippines; conduct speeches, testimonials and an open forum; as well as send a trade-and-investment mission to the Philippines.
Prior to these, the Filipino diplomat also met with high-ranking officials of Turkish Airlines and the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (Tursab) in Istanbul as part of the embassy’s tourism-promotion efforts.
Hernandez and Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Ekşi discussed positive developments in two-way tourism, as evidenced by the year-on-year growth in tourist arrivals from Turkey to the Philippines and vice versa.
As part of efforts to promote the anniversary of diplomatic ties between the Philippines and Turkey, the ambassador-designate requested Turkish Airlines to feature more Philippine tourist destinations in its in-flight magazine and on-board entertainment, which was readily welcomed.
Conversely, Turkish Airlines requested the embassy’s assistance with their plan to increase flight frequency to the Philippines, given the increasing need for passenger capacity and possible increase in cargo loads.
Turkish Airlines is the only European commercial carrier that flies direct from Manila to Europe via its daily flights to Istanbul.
Hernandez also met with Tursab’s Board Member Ali Bilir and Secretary-General Melike Ertekin to explore ways to boost people-to-people linkages between the Philippines and Turkey. The Philippine envoy proposed featuring Philippine tourist destinations in Tursab’s magazine and invited their members to participate in important tourism fairs and exhibitions, as well as organize familiarization and media tours by the Philippines.
Tursab also offered to mount a photo exhibition of popular tourist attractions in the Philippines in its office spaces and events to generate awareness on the Southeast Asian country among the Turkish public. DFA

Read more: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/08/01/ankara-enhances-phl-turkey-relations/