Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Attending the meeting were the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Minister of Economy Zafer Çağlayan, Customs and Commerce Minister Hayati Yazıcı, European Union Minister Egemen Bağış, Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Food, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Mehdi Eker, Development Minister Cevdet Yılmaz, Treasury Minister Mehmet Şimşek and the Industry and Technology Minister Nihat Ergün.

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “The years have shown us to be right. Seven years ago our slogan was ‘Investment in Turkey is Investment in the Future’. Today, it is ‘Turkey Rising While the World Changes’. We have talked about the transformation from a fragile economy to one that is breaking growth records. There were those who said Turkey would attain its goal in 2015. Thanks be to Allah, we have achieved them before 3 years.”

- “Those who believed in Turkey won”

Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Those who regarded investment in Turkey as investment in the future; those who believed in Turkey, won. As Europe struggles with crises, Turkey is breaking growth records. There is a Turkey hosting students from 147 countries for higher education in Turkey. There is a Turkey that inspires Arab societies suffering under oppressive regimes for years.  Greek youth unemployed in Athens are looking for jobs in Istanbul. Turkey has set itself a goal suitable for what it has become. To be one of the ten largest economies in the world. As we advance towards this goal we will set ourselves greater goals in all fields, one of our most valued assets and strategic partners will be global Turks. This is the power that will make Turkey a global ‘magnet’, a center of global attraction.”

- “No longer are we immigrant workers; we are the Turkish Diaspora”

Stating that as Turkey changes, so do the Turks in the world, TOBB President said, “I wish to draw your attention to 3 important developments. The first, even though we are only a couple of Western European countries, we have spread to the rest of Europe and to America in time. Russia and the Turkic nations followed suit. As our companies grow, our scales and horizons have also grown. We have spread from China to Mozambique, from Colombia to New Zealand. Our geopgraphy has changed.

The second, we have started to change from the ‘immigrant worker’ status. We have become entrepreneurs. We have become politicians. We have become artists. We have become academicians. Afterwards, leaders trained with the success stories of Turkey have spread to the four corners of the world, numbering over 4,000. From Dubai to Pakistan, from Nigeria to America we have administrators. Our qualities have changed.

Thirdly, we have the fourth generation Diaspora Turks among us. We talk about Mesut in Germany but has anybody seen the German Youth Football Team? Seven of the leading roster of eleven are Turks. Our generations have changed.

These changes, developments put us in a different category, they give us different power.

Today we say: ‘Seeing as how the world has become globalized; there are airports in every part of Turkey, there is internet everywhere, our companies are everywhere, and then Turkey is everywhere! No longer are we immigrant workers; we are the Turkish Diaspora.’

This is a claim, this is a goal, and this is will. Our government has ignited the fuse for these changes. What did we ask for during the last congress? We wanted a branch of government in our homeland which would be charged with working about us. We wanted our own culture associations. We wanted our own development institutions to be widespread as well. An Agency for Turks Abroad… You have the Yunus Emre Association… TİKA with its growing horizon. We thank the Prime Minister for these services.”

- “Turkey economy has grown strong, now is the time for a strong Diaspora”

Emphasizing that Turkey is the tenth country with the most citizens living abroad, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “3900 Turkish associations are operating abroad. We are employers in countries where we immigrated to as workers. The turnover of the Turkish Diaspora companies was 29 billion Euros in 2003, increasing to 50 billion Euros in 2010. We have directors at the heads of the largest companies in the world. We are America’s favorite doctor, we are the Director of the Central Bank of Brazil, and we are CEOs in Fortune 500 companies. We are making our mark on the world map with our Turkish Diaspora.”

TOBB President went on: “Turkey economy has grown strong, now it is the time for a strong Diaspora. Today, we resemble a jigsaw puzzle. We hold every piece. But because we are disorganized we do not make a complete picture. Hopefully we will be completing this picture now, together with our government.

One of the oldest sayings in the world goes: ‘Rome wasn’t built in day’. We are contemplating about 10, 20 years into the future.

We have established the World Turkish Business Council (DTİK) under the Foreign Economic Affairs Council (DEİK) in accordance with these facts. I have taken it upon myself personally to preside over this formation and the CEO of Coca Cola, Mr. Muhtar Kent will be presiding over the High Advisory Council.”

- “There was great interest in the bilateral talks”

Providing information regarding the congress workshop the previous day, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Our Ministers have listened to the questions in regional workshops from 5 continents, they talked about opportunities and assessed ideas. There was great interest in the bilateral talks. 1,110 of our companies from all over the world have taken part in 7,000 bilateral talks.”

Stating that they have studied how the most effective 15 diasporas in the world are organized and what kind of projects they implement, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that they have pinpoint 10 principles to achieve success during their “World Diaspora Strategies and Suggestions for the Turkish Diaspora” study. Hisarcıklıoğlu went on: “I would like to relate the most significant 5 of these to you.

First, the key point of the Diaspora strategy is unity. There can be no backstabbing. The winners are those who say ‘We’, not ‘I’.

Second, it is very important to create a shared contemporary and long term agenda. If we are all working separately to different ends we will squander resources and not accomplish anything.

Third, there needs to be different strategies and applications regarding the different groups of the Diaspora. An important thing to be setting aside resources is the “Next Generation Diaspora”. If you do not claim your youth, you will lose your future.

Fourth, public institutions, the business world, civil society organizations throughout the world are implementing social responsibility projects for the Diasporas.

Fifth, the bounds of the Diaspora must be kept expansive. There is a group called ‘the near Diaspora’. These must be won over. This means you shouldn’t lose contact with those who have received education, those who know your culture.

Taking these principles into account we have generated 40 concrete policy suggestions. I will present our work to you personally. There was also a unanimous request from all of my brothers and sisters. They want the Turkish Diaspora to gain a new status. They wish to feel that we hold them in special regard with a ‘Turks abroad identification’. We should let them feel that they are special for us.

There are things that you need to be doing for a strong Turkish Diaspora, too. You must put aside time for community works. You must work with our people one way or another. We have looked at all examples of success throughout the world. The golden rule is you will want what is best for each other. You should carry the passport of the country which you are living in in addition to your Turkish passport.

In your endeavors, you must always put your children and youth first. Our children should know the literature, cinema and poetry of the country they are living in without straying far from their true cultures.

More Turks need to work in international institutions and civil society organizations. We must encourage each other. We must be the first to mobilize in case of natural disasters and unfortunate days of the countries we are living in. Let us organize campaign and win over hearts. Win hearts and winning over minds will be easy.

You must take active part in the social and cultural life of the country you are living in. You shouldn’t only be members of Turkish associations, but also the associations of that country. Keeping in close touch with the Directorate of Turks Abroad with be beneficial to you.”

- “We will be one of the 10 largest economies in the world”

Stating that the driving force behind advancement, development and progress is economy, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “And the driving force behind the economy is the private sector. The private sector means entrepreneurship. Our resource, our values, our future, our insurance is not under the soil, it is on the surface. We do not have oil, our fuel is our people, our entrepreneurs. Turkey’s largest export item is its enterprising spirit. I feel that spirit in this hall. We have set ourselves a goal. We will be one of the 10 largest economies in the world.”

- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “We have no intention of meddling with the inner workings of any country. We, as Turkey, have no eye to the land, politics or the governing system of any country, we never have and we never will. We’ve never looked at another country with profit in mind, neither in our region nor the world. For us, people are the priority everywhere.

Erdoğan emphasized that global welfare and stability, regional welfare and stability are intimately interconnected with the peace of each country.

- Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan

The Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan said, “Thankfully, Turkey has succeeding in avoiding the global crisis with a wide berth.”

Çağlayan, recalling Turkey’s 2023 goals, stated that they are continuing work to this end. Çağlayan said that the pride of the Turkey brand were being experienced by all Turkish businessmen in the countries abroad where they lived.
​