Turkish economy minister goes to meeting in taxi due to traffic jam

ISTANBUL

DHA photo

Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci was forced to arrive at a meeting with a taxi due to Istanbul’s infamous traffic on Nov. 9. 

The minister’s car could not exit a parking lot in Istanbul’s Yeşilköy district, forcing Zeybekci to find a cab in order to arrive on time for a meeting with Qatari counterpart Sheikh Ahmet Bin Jassim al-Thani. 

A traffic jam was formed as a result of the 16th MÜSİAD EXPO, which opened on Nov. 9 in Istanbul, where thousands of businesspeople and investors from all over the world will explore new cooperation and partnership opportunities. 

The parking lot of Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport was full due to the arrivals of the guests at the expo, and high-level Turkish authorities were among the participants. A number of press agencies also attended the event, increasing the number of those in the parking lot even further.

A large crowd was also present in the hall where the event was being held, and Zeybekci was unable to leave the hall with his official car due to the traffic chaos. He subsequently went to the road with two personal guards and tried to hail a cab. After boarding one, he left the Yeşilköy area and headed to the Yenibosna neighborhood in order to meet the Qatari minister.

The expo is being hosted in eight halls and features 700 companies and 200,000 visitors from over 100 countries, according to the Independent Industrial and Business Association (MÜSİAD).      

The four-day expo will welcome businesspeople from various sectors such as the construction, textile, automotive, machinery, furniture, food, information technology and defense sectors.
       
MÜSİAD is a Turkish NGO that helps facilitate trade between Turkish businessmen and those in other countries, consisting mostly of small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).