Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

At the conference, where Deputy Minister of Trade Mustafa Tuzcu sent a video message, Ambassador of Thailand Apirat Sugondhabhirom, Chairman of the Ankara Committee of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and Nail Olpak, Chairman of the Board of Directors of DEİK, made opening speeches. The conference was also attended by Ambassadors of ASEAN member countries, NGO Representatives and academics.

Speaking at the session on “The Central Role of the Business World in Türkiye-ASEAN Partnership” at the conference, Ali Kopuz stated that the share of Asian countries in world production is gradually increasing, that the “Asia Again Initiative” initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is welcomed and that the “Sectoral Dialogue Partnership” established between Türkiye and ASEAN is also very important.

Kopuz stated that as the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye, it is working to improve relations with Asia and the Far East and especially with the ASEAN region. Reminding that the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye has been a member of the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) since 2009 and that Union President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu has been the Vice President of CACCI since 2014, Kopuz emphasized that Hisarcıklıoğlu was re-elected as Vice President for a two-year term at the CACCI General Assembly held in Australia in November.

Ali Kopuz gave information about the project by stating that a project is being carried out by TOBB, Adana Chamber of Industry, Aydın Chamber of Commerce, Eskişehir Chamber of Industry and Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry in order to support Türkiye's ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue partnership relationship.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an organization established to ensure regional peace and stability within the framework of economic, social, cultural, technical, educational and other fields of cooperation, respect for the concept of justice, law and the principles of the United Nations. Its member countries are Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore (founding members), Brunei (1984), Vietnam (1995), Laos (1997), Myanmar (1997) and Cambodia (1999). Türkiye became an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue partner in 2017.