Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Expressing his gratitude to the organization members who voiced their support for Turkey and democracy against the Fetullahist terror organization, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that Turkey has come out of this process stronger despite the difficulties it faced.

Hisarcıklıoğlu said:

“On the one hand, we continue to host 3 million Syrian refugees; fighting PKK and DAESH terror organizations on the other. On top of this, there was a coup attempt on the 15^th of July. Despite all of this, the economy did not experience any negative effects. The Turkish economy has overcome its most difficult test to date, coming out stronger following the coup attempt.

Stating that the goal of the putschists and those behind them was to destabilize the region even more as well as preventing development and growth, Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized the need to see the bigger picture better and the need for prosperity in the region.

- “Brothers don’t need visas to visit”

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu drew attention to the potential of ECO which was formed in 1985 for regional development by Turkey, Iran and Pakistan as well as joined by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in addition to Afghanistan following the fall of the Soviet Union.

Stating that despite this the organization is underutilized, Hisarcıklıoğlu said:

“16% of global petroleum reserves and 24% of proven natural gas reserves are in ECO lands. We stand at the energy and trade corridor of the world. Half of the world population is neighbors to ECO countries. We own extremely bountiful lands. We have extraordinary human resources as well as cultural heritage. Despite all of these advantages, our share of the global trade volume is only 2%.”

Stressing the importance of lifting visas between ECO countries, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “While Turkey requires no visas from almost all ECO countries, our citizens can enter only a handful of ECO countries without the need for a visa. We must bring an end to this mistake.Brothers don’t need visas to visit.”

- Aiming to develop regional trade

The Economic Cooperation Organization Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ECO CCI) 21^st Executive Council meeting held at the Tehran Chamber of Commerce on “Private Sector Coordination of Member Countries Active in the Fields of Energy and Petrochemicals” will last two days. Attending the opening session of the meeting in addition to Hisarcıklıoğlu were Mohammad Nahavandian, Chief of Staff of the President of Iran, ECO Secretary General Halil İbrahim Akça, ECO CCI and Pakistan Chambers Federation Chair Abdurrauf Alim, ECO CCI Vice Chair Azerhaş Hafizi, Iranian Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mining and Agriculture Deputy Chair Gulamhüseyin Şafii.

ECO was formed in 1985 for regional development by Turkey, Iran and Pakistan as well as joined by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in addition to Afghanistan following the fall of the Soviet Union with the goal of contributing to the development of member countries, eliminating trade barriers and developing regional trade as well as integrating the region with global markets and strengthening the cultural and historical ties between its members.