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A senior Swiss trade official has praised Türkiye's commitment to economic stability and growth, saying the country demonstrates an "absolutely impressive will to reform" following meetings with Turkish government ministers.
Francois Gabella, vice chair of Switzerland Global Enterprise, the official Swiss organization for export and investment promotion, made the remarks on the sidelines of the 19th Türkiye-Switzerland Economic Forum held recently in collaboration with the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Türkiye and the Swiss Embassy.
The forum brought together Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat and Guy Parmellin, vice president of the Swiss Federal Council, along with business leaders from both countries.
"We saw, talking to the ministers, that there is an absolutely impressive will to reform in the country and to put it on stability, and also a path of growth — that is extremely promising," Gabella told Anadolu. "And that is exactly what justifies the strengthening of our ties together between Türkiye and Switzerland."
Gabella highlighted Türkiye's geographical position as a strategic advantage for Swiss businesses seeking to expand into regions where Switzerland lacks strong commercial presence. He identified energy, green technology and infrastructure as sectors ripe for collaboration between the two nations.
The pharmaceutical industry presents particular opportunities, according to Gabella, given Switzerland's expertise in production and distribution. "In Türkiye there are big potentials," he said.
He also noted Türkiye's active role in international project development, extending from its immediate region to Africa. "There is a tremendous know-how in Türkiye for large projects and Switzerland is also active in this sector," he added.
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During his visit, Gabella toured a Turkish technopark and expressed admiration for the breadth of technological development underway in the country.
"What struck me also is the width of the spectrum of technologies you're tackling from micro technologies to biotech to mechanics to space to many materials, and the number of projects, the number of startups, and the dedication from the government to develop and to help developing these companies," he said.
Gabella emphasized that Turkish startups could benefit from Swiss financial networks, which invest beyond Switzerland's borders. He noted that while startups typically emerge from universities and require laboratories to refine their concepts, they also need seed capital and a supportive financial ecosystem to prove their viability to potential customers.
"What we seldom talk about is the ecosystem and the financial system to make sure that these companies will find seed capital to exist to show what they are able to do," he said.
The global transition to renewable energy presents both opportunities and challenges in production, distribution and storage, Gabella said. He suggested Turkish and Swiss companies could collaborate as solar and wind energy adoption accelerates worldwide.
On infrastructure, Gabella pointed to Switzerland's track record in building dams and highways internationally, saying joint ventures could provide competitive advantages. He said expertise in construction engineering, machinery, hydraulics and electricity would be essential for such partnerships.
"Türkiye and Switzerland could gain a competitive edge if they worked together in major infrastructure projects," he said.
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