Moldova is seeking to attract more Turkish investment in manufacturing, energy and technology as it works to strengthen economic links with Turkey and use the country's access to the European Union market, Prime Minister Vasile Tofan said after meetings with Turkish business representatives in Istanbul on August 22-23, according to NewsMaker.md.

Swimming across the Bosphorus with his son may have been planned before his prime ministership, as Tofan explained, but the gesture certainly helped him get a stronger profile among the business community in Istanbul, as did his past position of invetsment manager with Horizon Capital. 

Tofan met representatives of major companies and investment groups, including Fiba Group, CoreX, Franklin Templeton, Esas Holding and textile companies Yeşim, Evkon and Asena. He encouraged Turkish companies to establish production facilities in Moldova, highlighting the country's access to the EU market.

"We discussed Fiba Group, CoreX, Franklin Templeton—which manages assets worth approximately $1.8tn —Esas Holding, as well as textile companies Yeşim, Evkon, and Asena, which already provide approximately 1,500 jobs in Moldova, including in Gagauzia," Tofan said.

He also met the management of Bilişim Vadisi, a Turkish technology park bringing together more than 800 companies. Moldova plans to draw on the Turkish experience for the development of its planned HiTech Park in Stăuceni, which the government considers a major project for the country's technology sector.

Tofan said bilateral trade turnover had already exceeded €1bn, with the government aiming to double the figure over the next three to four years. "Our message to businessmen was simple: Moldova is open for business. We encouraged them to produce locally, taking advantage of our access to the EU market, and to invest in energy, technology, and high-value-added export production," he said on social media.

The investment push followed a visit to Chişinău on August 20 by Turkish MP and Justice and Development Party Vice Chairman Kürşad Zorlu, who met President Maia Sandu, Tofan and Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu. Their discussions included Turkish participation in infrastructure and energy projects and the economic development of Gagauzia.

Gagauzia, a predominantly Gagauz-speaking autonomous region in southern Moldova, has become a focus of Russian political influence in recent years. Chişinău is seeking to strengthen the region's economic integration with Moldova while preserving its autonomous status and Gagauz cultural identity. Greater Turkish involvement could provide an alternative source of investment and external engagement in the region.

Turkey already has an economic presence in Gagauzia. Tofan said Turkish textile companies Yeşim, Evkon and Asena employ about 1,500 people in Moldova, including in the autonomous region.

Education is also emerging as an element of the closer Turkish-Moldovan relationship. Valentin Gaidarji, chairman of Gagauzia's People's Assembly, said on August 21 that Turkey was prepared to assist with teachers who would help students prepare for Romanian-language education at the planned Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Moldovan-Turkish College in Comrat.

The college is scheduled to open on September 1, 2027. Gaidarji said the institution would provide instruction in Romanian, while only three of Gagauzia's 45 educational institutions currently teach primarily in Romanian, with Russian remaining the main language of instruction in most schools.

The government is simultaneously seeking to use Turkish investment to expand Moldova's industrial base and energy capacity, sectors it considers essential to narrowing the development gap with the EU.