Turkish Millions of Investments in Kosovo

Over 372m euros, it accounts for Turkey's investments in Kosovo since 2008, when the Kosovo Kosovar-Turkish Trade Oda operates, says Arben Fetah, executive director of this office.

In a conversation for Radio Free Europe, Fetahu says investments from Turkey take first place in terms of economic impact.

Turkey has recently taken second place in terms of direct investments in Kosovo last year. First place, Germany or Switzerland are constantly occupied. But one thing to know is that foreign investments from Germany, Switzerland or from Great Britain known countries for the vast Kosovo diaspora are common, such as home or residence”.

“Where foreign investments from Turkey are oriented by the economy, investments which bring jobs and economic generation”, Fetah says.

Based on data from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, from January to August of this year, Turkey's investments in Kosovo stood at over 19m euros -- from 201m euros from investments in general.

These data, Turkey is known as the fifth state, following Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Great Britain.

Turkish investments are oriented in banking, education, health, productivity, energy, construction, trade, hotels, transport and other areas.

The total number of Turkish businesses registered in Kosovo is about 800, Arben Fetah says, but according to him, 200 businesses are currently active.

Turkey's investments in the Balkans, including Kosovo, are welcome and necessary, says Guner Ureva, director of the Department for Economic Diplomacy, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Balkan is a space for Turkish investment, of course considering even links, communication of potential Turkish investors with European Union countries, Balkan states. Even Kosovo can serve as a base that will produce products from Turkish most orgy investments in Kosovo to crack in European Union markets”, Ureva tells Radio Free Europe

That Turkish companies continue to present interest for investments in Kosovo, they also say in the Kosovo Republic General Consulate in Istanbul. Erven Field, the acting consul general, tells Radio Free Europe that several times a week they meet with Turkish businessmen to show the conditions of doing business in Kosovo.

We have nearly four or five meetings a week with Turkish businessmen or investors interested in investing in Kosovo. Their interests are of different kinds, some want to invest in agriculture, infrastructure or even other larger capital investment”, the Field said.

Otherwise, in addition to direct investments, in Kosovo some of the largest financial capital companies have been granted more concessions to Turkish consortiums.

Bechtel-Enka, the US-Turkish consortium, has made construction of the highway connecting Kosovo with Albania, at a price of one billion euros, while it is already building the Skopje Pristina highway, worth over 600m euros.

Another Turkish-French consortium, Limak-Aeroport de Lyon in 2010 has undertaken concessions for 20 years, Pristina International Airport “Adem Jashari”, with the obligation to invest over 100m euros in it.

And in 2012, the Turkish consortium Limak-Calic privatised the Kosovo power distribution and supply network, buying it for 26.3m euros.

The Turkish Agency for Co-operation and Co-ordination has been operating in Kosovo since 2004 TIA.

From that period, this organisation has implemented hundreds of different projects, as well as restored a large number of mosques, but has also made investments in building new mosques throughout Kosovo. Investment from this agency has also been in the health and playgrounds of the capital's parks.

Of Turkish investments in Kosovo, a number of educational institutions already operate.

In addition to direct investments, Kosovo has signed the Free Trade Agreement with Turkey since 2013, but has not yet been ratified in the Kosovo Assembly, while the Turkish state has ratified this agreement since.

The Free Trade Agreement with Turkey, according to experts, highlights trade imbalances between the two states, taking into account Turkey's great economic and trade power compared to Kosovo.

Imports of the Turkish state in Kosovo during the past year have been over 288m euros, while Kosovo exports to Turkey around 8m euros.