Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Hisarcıklıoğlu who delivered a speech at DEİK Family Meeting honored by Ahmet Davutoğlu, the Foreign Minister, said Davutoğlu was the intellectual architect of Turkish foreign policy for 10 years, and “Strategic Depth" had become a concept known by all the world. 

Telling that in each year of his presidency he traveled a distance that was equal to 8 trips around the perimeter of the world, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, "I personally witnessed the increased credit and weight attached to the Turkish passport.”

Saying that there were two factors that increased the value and weight of the Turkish passport, first, the political will, and secondly, the Turkish entrepreneurs who had become now a global power,  Hisarcıklıoğlu reminded that Turkish companies exported more than 20 thousand varieties of goods to the world, which amounted to more than 152 billion dollars annually.

Hisarcıklıoğlu said Turkish contractors were carrying out infrastructure and superstructure projects exceeding 20 billion dollars annually in a geography from Siberia to Morocco, and from Pakistan to Poland, and they worked at both minus 40 degrees Celsius and plus 40 degrees Celsius. 

Emphasizing that the investments of the Turkish private sector in the global markets exceeded 30 billion dollars, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We managed to create 75 thousand bosses overseas.  Those who have made this achievements are here in this hall.  I want to underscore one fact.  The common ground of those who constitute this power is their membership of the wide DEİK family.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the Turkish foreign policy gained a new vision in foreign economic relations with the contributions of the Minister Davutoğlu and told that they carried out the private sector portion of the efforts to realize the principles of being a central country, carrying out a rhythmic diplomacy and obtaining representation power in international organizations since 2002. 

Saying that in 2002 DEİK was an organization without any legal status and having only a budget of 1 million dollars, which was comprised of 8 founders and 65 business councils and capable of organizing 100 events a year, Hisarcıklıoğlu added,     “Today, 40 institutions of the Turkish private sector that are active at home and abroad are among the founders of DEİK.   The most powerful and prestigious companies of their respective fields constitute the base of DEİK.  Today DEİK has 112 business councils.   We organize 750 events a year.  Every year, we host more than 100 foreign presidents and prime ministers.  

Only last week, for instance, we hosted the Prime Minister of Greece with our Prime Minister on Monday.  On Tuesday, we received the King of Jordan.  On Wednesday, we held Turkmenistan International Investment Forum under the auspices of the honorable President of Turkey.  Half of the Council of Ministers of Turkmenistan were here.  On Thursday, Gabon Ministry of Energy was here.  Yesterday, Deputy President of Surinam visited DEİK."

-“Diplomacy and private sector should joint forces to enter the 10s club”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that DEİK has become a global trademark of the Turkish private sector, and said "We have adopted a common vision.  The name of that vision is "Turkey a Global Power".  Pointing out that they qualified for the first division from the second division with their efforts up to the present, and now they wanted to play at the Champions League, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that they wanted to be one of the 10 big economies, ’and diplomacy and the private sector should join forces to enter the 10s club.

Telling that Göktürk-2 did not spring from the ground, but was a product of entrepreneurship, intelligence, and the collaboration of the private and public  sectors, Hisarcıklıoğlu noted that the target was to achieve 1 trillion dollars in foreign economic relations to enter the 10s club. 

Hisarcıklıoğlu said: “To put it clearly; 500 billion dollars of export, 100 billion dollars of foreign investment stock, 85 billion dollars of tourism income, 100 billion dollars of contracting income, 150 billion dollars of service exports, and 100 billion dollars of entrepreneurial power to be gained by the Turkish Diaspora.  What is the formula for this one-trillion target then? The formula is coordination.  Cooperation, collaboration, union of forces.  The British has a proverb, “trade follows the flag”. This close working environment will be driving force to achieve the common targets we have set.

I wish that his consultation meeting is held every year regularly.  Such consultation and assessment meetings will help us cooperate with our government and businessmen, to serve with all our might and look at the future with hope in the way to reach our targets.   I believe that we shall turn our dreams into targets, our targets into reality and look at the future with hope thanks to the public-private sector cooperation.”