Turkey the guest of honour at Hannover industry fair

The world’s largest industrial and technological fair has opened its doors to the public in Germany, with Turkey this year’s partner country. The annual Hanover Messe is celebrating its 60th birthday. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the chance to showcase his country’s economic potential.

Last year’s special guest country, India, walked away with more than 1.3 billion euros of established trade connections. Turkey has over 250 stands among a total of around 6,400 at the fair. Siemens boss Klaus Kleinfeld said there is a great interest in German innovation as well as in technological products coming out of Turkey, a fast-emerging country with strong growth and a young population.

China is also well-represented with more than 400 exhibitors. The focus of this year’s event is on automation and energy. And with climate change at the top of the agenda of the G8 and the EU, the challenges of global warming and the risks of energy supply will be dealt with by the companies on show. Other key issues include relocating to low-cost countries and tackling product privacy. Up to 200,000 visitors are expected.

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