Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

The protocol signing ceremony, held simultaneously online, was attended by Ece Başay, Director of Public Policy Programs of Facebook Turkey, Sezai Hazır, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Habitat Association, Mehmet Kaya, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Diyarbakır Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Hasan Maral, Secretary General of Karacadağ Development Agency, Faruk Korkmaz, Chairman of DTSO Science Education Foundation, and Şerif Sayar, Chairman of TOBB Diyarbakır Young Entrepreneurs Council.

After the Istanbul Facebook Station, Diyarbakır Station, the last of the community centers signed in Samsun, Denizli, Kırklareli, Adana, Mersin, Van, Trabzon, Bursa, Ankara, Izmir, Çanakkale and Antalya and seen as one of Facebook's biggest investments in Turkey, will host a series of trainings, programs and workshops focusing on bringing people, communities and businesses together in Turkey and digitization of the country's economy.

“The pandemic conditions we are in have once again shown us how important it is for the country's economy for individuals, businesses, communities and NGOs to develop themselves in the digital world. Facebook Station, our first community center in Turkey, which we opened in Istanbul in September last year, is one of the biggest investments we have made in this direction. With the Diyarbakır satellite center, which we signed the protocol today, we are one step closer to our goal of implementing Facebook Station all over the country. We will organize training programs and workshops in all our community centers focusing on a range of different topics such as online export, digital marketing, online security and digital communication.”

Sezai Hazır, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Habitat Association, said, “With this protocol, which we see as a goodwill agreement, we mainly aim to support entrepreneurship in the region. These centers, where we plan to actively operate three main functions: Education, Co-Working Space and Pre-Incubation, will also host networking events that bring together universities, students, the private sector, local governments and the public locally.”

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mehmet Kaya, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Diyarbakır Chamber of Commerce and Industry, explained that they have a young population above the average in Turkey and that they are carrying out various studies to ensure that young people have access to qualified jobs, gain competence for the future and support their entrepreneurship.

Kaya said that they have provided trainings to 1,000 people in different fields with their qualified education services at Diyarbakır Industrial School.

Kaya stated that they have completed the construction of the Entrepreneur Support Center and started their training programs and will start to serve in September 2021.

Kaya said that with the signed protocol, they have taken these efforts to the next level in cooperation with Facebook, TOBB and Habitat Association.

Karacadağ Development Agency Secretary General Hasan Maral stressed that it is now a necessity for individuals and institutions to adapt quickly to the increasingly important digitalization during the pandemic period.

Engin Yeşil, TOBB Board Member and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Diyarbakır Commodity Exchange, noted that the world has become a village in the digitalized age, “Entrepreneurs who can open up to world markets by using digital tools effectively, follow economic variables and, most importantly, manage risks well can gain competitive advantage. It is very important to provide training and consultancy services to our entrepreneurs in this field. I congratulate the parties to the protocol and wish them success in their work.”

Diyarbakır Station aims to provide a physical space for different social groups and communities to come together to share ideas and work, while at the same time supporting businesses in the city to reach global markets and find jobs for individuals looking for work.