Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, TOBB Board Vice Presidents Murat Yalçıntaş and Tanıl Küçük, TÜSİAD President Ümit Boyner, TÜSİAD Vice President Tayfun Beyazıt, TÜSİAD Board Member Lucien Arkas and TÜSİAD Secretary General Zafer Ali Yavan are part of the delegation making contacts with French businessmen to relay the gravity of the issue.

Continuing their efforts to lobby against and prevent the bill, the delegation first met with the ICC President Gerard Worms. Afterwards, they met with the former president of the one of the largest commerce chambers in the world, the Paris Chamber of Commerce and the Eurochambres Honorary President Pierre Simon during lunch.

In his afternoon meeting, TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu met with the President of the France Union of Chambers, Andre Marcon and stated that the recent events contradict the depiction of France as the country that led the world into enlightenment, as in Voltaire’s words, ‘I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it,” and asked, “Is France entering a dark age?” Marcon stated that they were definitely of a mind that the timing of the bill was very wrong and the actions needed would be taken in this regard.

The delegation met with the President of the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Pierre Antione Gailly afterwards. Speaking on behalf of the delegation, TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu relayed the sensitivity and arguments of the Turkish side and stated that trade and businessmen would suffer the most on both sides as a result.

After the meeting with Gailly, the delegation met with the President of MEDEF, the institution of industrialist and businessmen of France, Laurence Parisot after which, they met with one of the most influential people in France, the President of the AXA Corporation, Henri de Catries.
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