Foreign direct investment in Turkey rises 21 pct to $13.2 billion in 2018

Turkey attracted nearly $13.2 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2018, an increase of 21 percent compared to the previous year, the head of the presidency's investment office said Monday.

The Netherlands and Azerbaijan were the top two sources of direct investments last year, Arda Ermut told a meeting in Istanbul.

"We want to receive 1.5 percent of total global direct investments. At first, we want to reach $18 billion (of FDI) then $20-25 billion," Ermut said.

In 2017, Turkey attracted $10.83 billion in net international direct investment, whereas this number was $13.34 billion in 2016.

Regarding reports on some automotive companies planning to leave Turkey, Ermut said that new players might enter the Turkish market in the upcoming period instead.