Germany’s Ambassador to Ankara, Jürgen Schulz, stated that the energy sector has an important place in Turkiye-Germany bilateral relations and said, “Turkiye and Germany are two suitable partners for the development of hydrogen.”
Schulz told the AA correspondent that the trade volume between the two countries closed the previous years with records and record expectations continue.
Pointing out that Turkish-German commercial relations are quite comprehensive in a wide variety of areas, Schulz stated that the relations between the two countries, which have a deep-rooted history, are also progressing in a very balanced manner.
Schulz noted that one of the largest and most important countries to which Germany exports is Turkiye, and said:
“Germany is also the most important and largest country to which Turkiye exports and ranks third among the countries to which Turkiye imports, after Russia and the People’s Republic of China. Despite this, we want our relations to intensify and develop further in this field. Both in the field of trade and investments. The energy sector really has a very important place in our bilateral relations. More than 8 thousand German companies have invested in Turkiye and are still operating. Among these companies, there are many companies working in the energy sector.”
“Minister Bayraktar’s investment invitation was received positively”
Schulz reminded that German Minister of Economy and Climate Protection Robert Habeck visited Turkiye with representatives of the energy sector in October last year.
Schulz stated that Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar’s invitation of German investors to Turkiye at the 5th Turkish-German Energy Forum held in Ankara was welcomed by the German delegation and continued as follows:
“The Turkish-German energy forum has been held in our countries for several years. Public and private sector representatives from the energy sector participate in the forum and hold discussions on cooperation opportunities. I can emphasize that this forum works as a very constructive and productive forum. Turkiye has important goals in renewable energy and green energy transformation. There are also significant investment opportunities in Turkiye in the fields of renewable energy resources and supply chain. Apart from this, there are intense cooperation areas and opportunities in the fight against climate change, decarbonization of industry, and green energy transformation.”
Ambassador Schulz stated that they know that German companies in Turkiye are very satisfied with their operations here and said, “We know that they have gained very positive experiences. But attracting new investors is a separate issue. We also know that some companies are hesitant to invest in Turkiye. Investment conditions must be attractive. Among these conditions, there should be legal guarantees, planning security, that is, the ability to make long-term plans and convenience in financing. These are the positive framework conditions they expect.”
Schulz stated that it is a great advantage for Turkiye to be close to Europe in terms of creating a new production center and supply chain. He emphasized that companies are looking for reliable markets after the Covid-19 epidemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, and that Turkiye is an important country in terms of its geographical location and potential.
Schulz continued saying the following:
“I definitely think that Turkiye is in an important position in this regard. Companies felt obliged to turn to more reliable markets, both in terms of the Covid-19 epidemic and the war. They turned to diversifying the opportunities they have in terms of markets. Of course, Turkiye is in an important position in this respect because it is geographically close, culturally close and at the same time the two countries know each other well. So they are not strangers to each other. There are already very important companies in Turkiye, for example in the field of solar panel production. Extensive production is carried out. Germany was already working very intensively on renewable energy before the Covid-19 outbreak and before the war in Ukraine. Now this will get even more intense. Turkiye will definitely have an important role at this point.”
“Turkiye’s green hydrogen production conditions are suitable”
Schulz stated that Turkiye and Germany have taken important steps towards the development of hydrogen, an issue of increasing strategic importance in energy markets.
Reminding that two countries recently signed a memorandum of understanding regarding hydrogen, and some companies made a joint investment in hydrogen in Turkiye, Schulz continued his words as follows:
“Green hydrogen is a very important issue that is strategically promising. It is a resource used in industry in Germany. However, it is a resource that promises very important developments for the future. It is a resource that will have many benefits and advantages if it is used consciously in industry. Germany can of course produce hydrogen. However, it cannot produce enough to meet its needs because there will be a huge need for hydrogen in quantity in the future. We think that there are conditions for large amounts of hydrogen production in Turkiye . We would be very pleased to cooperate with Turkiye in this field because, as we said before, there are positive developments in our cooperation on renewable energy.”
Schulz emphasized that some elements of the memorandum of understanding have already been implemented and said:
“For example, a task force has been established, experts are coming together and discussing what can be done in this field. At the same time, what can be done in terms of joint investments is being examined. In fact, as far as I know, a joint investment has already been made in Turkiye. Hydrogen truly has strategic importance for the future. Turkiye and Germany are two suitable partners for the development of hydrogen. On the other hand, our countries signed an agreement and decided to act jointly in combating climate change, and it was decided to hold regular high-level meetings.”
Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz