400 years of diplomatic relations between Turkey and the Netherlands

Exactly 400 years ago, in 1612, Cornelis Haga, envoy from the Republic of the Netherlands, submitted his letter of credence to the Ottoman Sultan. This year several activities and events have been organised to celebrate the 400th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Turkey.

Turkey is becoming an increasingly important trading partner for the Netherlands. Trading volume between the two countries has doubled over the past ten years, and is expected to continue to expand. A number of Holland Financial Centre’s participants decided that the jubilee year provided excellent opportunities for marketing and promoting Dutch financial service provision in Turkey. In honour of President Gül’s visit to the Netherlands, the Holland Turkey Business Forum was held on Tuesday 17 April. The organisers of the event were ING, PwC, Agentschap NL and Fenedex. Various members of the HFC Turkey Working Group, which is still being set up, were present at the forum, where they hoped to increase their knowledge of Turkey and extend their network.

From 14 to 17 October 2012, Mayor Eberhard van der Laan will visit Istanbul with a commercial delegation. Plans call for the visit to include a Holland Financial Day that will focus on promoting the Netherlands as a place of business for HFC’s relevant priority areas: Retirement Management, Finance & Sustainability, Financial Logistics and Trading Venue. The programme will be entirely geared to the location and the guests who are expected to attend. Preparations for the event in October are now in the earliest stage, and there is still ample opportunity for participation.

For more information please contact Koen Advokaat: advokaat@hollandfinancialcentre.nl.