Belgium’s Queen Mathilde is set to visit Türkiye in May at the head of a large delegation of around 450 people, with the agenda expected to focus on economic, trade and defense cooperation, the Belgian diplomat has announced.
The Belgian business community is preparing to travel to Istanbul and Ankara between May 10–14 to enhance economic and commercial ties between the two countries.
The visit, described as the first “Belgian Economic Mission” to Türkiye at the royal level in 14 years, is expected to bring together some 250 business representatives alongside academics and government officials.
The last such visit took place in October 2012 under then-Crown Prince, now King Philippe.
The delegation is also expected to include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, as well as Defense and Foreign Trade Minister Theo Francken, said Belgium’s Ambassador to Ankara Hendrik Van de Velde and Consul General in Istanbul Tim Van Anderlecht during a briefing on the visit.
According to the diplomats, the mission also signals confidence in the fundamentals of the Turkish economy.
Commenting on the Queen’s participation, Van de Velde said, “Her Majesty’s presence not only strengthens and promotes the mission, but also represents confidence in our economy and in bilateral relations.”
“It is a clear signal of trust in the core indicators of the Turkish economy. Our belief in this is strong. The fact that we are coming with such a large delegation after a long interval, and among the first European countries to do so, is proof of this.”
He added that the visit highlights Türkiye’s strong integration with the European economy and market, noting, “We are here to underline Türkiye’s place in Europe and to demonstrate that we are strategic partners.”
The ambassador stressed that the European and Turkish economies are deeply interconnected and can enhance their competitiveness together, adding that cooperation should proceed in line with World Trade Organization rules.
According to Van de Velde, the delegation will include representatives from five key sectors: Pharmaceuticals and life sciences, logistics, sustainable and green energy, digital transformation and defense and aerospace.
While the Istanbul leg of the visit will focus primarily on business-to-business engagement, official meetings are expected to take place in the capital Ankara.
In Istanbul, visits are planned to the facilities of leading Turkish defense company Baykar, as well as to a shipyard.
Belgium’s Defense and Foreign Trade Minister Francken, who visited Türkiye last year, will explore potential areas of cooperation through meetings with defense firms.
Meanwhile, Belgium’s consul general in Istanbul also said that visa processing capacity for Schengen applications has been increased by 250 percent in response to ongoing demand.
