Turkey eager to invest in biotech

By Hanife Sevinc, Zeynep Rakipoglu and Guc Gonel

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's progress in the health sector is strategically critical beyond its economic significance, the Turkish president said on Saturday.

Congratulating the award recipients of the international biotechnology congress BIO Turkey in Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a letter stressed the importance of the pharmaceutical industry for Turkey

Erdogan underlined that the sector was the most important after the defense industry, emphasizing that during difficult times Turkey could only rely on its own production and infrastructure to survive.

"However, we have unfortunately faced veiled resistance in our steps to develop our domestic and national pharmaceutical industry and strengthen our medical device sector, just as we once had in the defense industry," he said.

Attending the ceremony, Vice President Fuat Oktay said that Turkey would act against "approaches" that sought to compel domestic ventures to move abroad even as the government attempted to bring research and development, design and production facilities into the country.

Inviting scientists, non-governmental organizations and universities to support Turkey's biotechnology initiatives, Oktay said investments in the defense, health and food industries would "not only save us from dependency but also turn Turkey into a global exporter."

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca also spoke at the ceremony, underscoring the role of partnerships between academia, industry and individual projects in training a qualified labor force.

After his speech, Koca presented a plaque of appreciation to the representatives of the congress's sponsors.

*Writing by Davut Demircan