Governor Paterson Welcomes Turkish Investors
- Written by Cemil Ozyurt
- Published in TOA Authors
Governor Paterson with Cemil Ozyurt.
From the Editor - Cemil Özyurt
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Since David Paterson became governor, New York State has faced enormous political challenges, from the state’s budget gap of more than $4 billion to the state’s worst fiscal crisis since the mid-1970s.
In his first speech as Governor, on March 17, 2008, one of the crucial issues on which Governor Paterson led the charge for New York’s future was the putting forth of a statewide renewable energy strategy to harness the power of the sun and wind.
To accomplish his strategy, Governor Paterson pays a great deal of attention to New York State’s lag behind other regions. Under Governor Paterson’s leadership, Albany, Buffalo and Niagara Falls met with the largest foreign trade mission in New York's history, 60 representatives from 39 different countries. Another trade delegation will be visiting Long Island next fall.
To make New York more open to foreign-based companies, Governor Paterson desires to bring more international companies to New York State and he wants to welcome more Turkish companies to New York State as well.
New York State is not only important for Turkish companies for doing business, but also a good market for Turkish students. As Governor Paterson stressed, the State University of New York has a very strong relationship with Turkish universities and 1700 Turkish students are studying at SUNY campuses. The Turkish students alone who study at SUNY contribute approximately $50 million to the New York State economy yearly.
According to the Open Doors report published annually by the Institute of International Education (IIE), in the 2007/08 academic year, the number of students from Turkey, the eighth leading sender, increased by 5% from the previous year, to 12,030. Every year, Turkish students contribute an estimated $335 – $350 million to the U.S. economy.
Due to the business and educational potential of Turkey, the relation between Turkey and New York States keep growing warmer. Last January, Governor Paterson sent his senior advisor for international commerce, Sam Natapoff, to Adana, Turkey to explore its business potential. Governor Paterson has long been aware of the importance of Turkey’s business potential, but this needs to be improved upon by Turkish organizations and businesses.
As you may have read on the previous page, Governor Paterson wrote an open letter to Turkish investors in which he stated, “Our links with Turkey are strong and long-standing. We work closely with the Turkish Consulate in New York City to help new Turkish firms succeed here.”
I believe that this issue, which is supported by Governor Paterson, Zafer Caglayan, the State Minister of Turkey, and many strong Turkish associations, is a very important step for business relations between Turkey and New York State. In the future, the relations have to be built up by the state officials on both sides as well as leaders of business organizations. I am sure both parties will greatly benefit from a closer relationship in ways that right now they may not even imagine. The possibilities are nearly limitless, and the future looks bright.
Last modified onSaturday, 06 May 2017 10:07
