Inward and outward investment opportunities will be high on the agenda as the Lord Mayor of London - global ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional services industry - visits Doha and Istanbul at the head of a business delegation this week to strengthen trade links with the City of London.

Peter Estlin, the Lord Mayor, will meet leaders from the Qatar Central Bank, Qatar Investment Authority and Qatari ministers. The visit begins a period of high-level engagement with key Qatari leaders and stakeholders ahead of a visit to Mansion House later this month by HE Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al-Thani, Governor of Qatar Central Bank.

Qatar has already invested more than half of the £5bn it pledged to invest in the UK in 2017, and the visit will be an opportunity to explore further possibilities.

In Istanbul, he will meet business leaders, regulators, and trade bodies in a visit focussed around deepening business ties between London and Turkey. That will include a meeting with Acibadem Sigorta – Turkey’s second-largest health insurer - who were acquired by BUPA earlier this year.

The Lord Mayor’s schedule also includes meetings with the British Chamber of Commerce in Turkey and significant Turkish investors.

Accompanying the Lord Mayor on his visit is a senior delegation from UK firms representing leading City industries such as insurance, asset management, and private equity.

Peter Estlin, the Lord Mayor of London said:

“Qatar and Turkey present huge long-term opportunities for the City of London and the UK’s financial services industry.

“I anticipate that this month will be the start of great new chapter in the UK’s economic partnership with Qatar, a country whose considerable investments have brought significant job creation and prosperity across the UK. I look forward to discussing how we can continue that progress, as well as looking at how the UK can help to develop Qatar’s financial services industry.

“The UK-Turkey business relationship has already been a great success story too. While in Istanbul I look forward to discussing ideas with business representatives on how we can spur on mutual growth.

“The UK already has strong trading relationships with both Qatar and Turkey, and it’s my ambition with this visit to contribute to the deepening and growth of these ties in the years to come.”

The Lord Mayor will be tweeting from @CityLordMayor during his visit.

The business delegation will be composed of representatives from the following organisations:

• BUPA
• London Stock Exchange
• SERCO
• Aberdeen Standard Investments

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Notes to editors

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

For more information contact:

Joe Dibben, Media Officer

City of London Corporation

joe.dibben@cityoflondon.gov.uk

0207 332 1906