Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

The Leadership Academy and Strategy Workshop hosted by the Silifke Chamber of Commerce and Industry was held with the attendances of TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Prime Minister Tufan Erhürman and their wives, Mersin Governor Ali İhsan Su, AK Party Deputy Chairman Lütfi Elvan, Silifke Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Nurettin Kaynar, President of the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Commerce Turgay Deniz, Rector of Mersin University Dr. Ahmet Çamsarı and many guests.

Called to address the hall after the protocol speeches, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu congratulated the Silifke Chamber of Commerce and Industry for its vision. Hisarcıklıoğlu said while celebrating Silifke yoghurt and for the registration efforts on strawberries, “Our Chamber has accomplished a first in Turkey and did not stop there. They founded the Silifke Economic Cooperation Council. Thus, they aim to make Silifke into a brand. Likewisse the Silifke strawberry, renowned throughout the world, not just Turkey. But recognition is not enough. We need to protect it and turn it into more. That's why our chamber is working to get a geographical marker for the Silifke strawberries. With a long history of 110 years, this is an endeavor worthy of our Silifke CCI. I am proud of all these visionary works by the Silifke Chamber of Commerce and Industry and I congratulate our President, his administration, his council and his colleagues. There is something else here that makes me very happy. Everybody does their part for this organization. I would like to thank Mersin CCI, Mersin CMC, Mersin University, TOBB ETU and the governor for their support. It is very important that our Chambers and Commodity Exchanges have close relations with TOBB ETU. Remember, this is yours - the university of the Turkish business community.”

- Silifke acts as a bridge

Pointing out that Silifke is a bridge connecting Cyprus, the Mediterranean and Anatolia, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that there is great potential for industry, agriculture, livestock and tourism in Silifke. The TOBB President reported that, thanks to Silifke’s plains and greenhouses, there are 3 harvests per year, “Everything grows but most importantly strawberries and lemons. Last time, we opened the new service building of our Chamber. At that time, I said that the physical capacity is fine but now it will be necessary to increase the service capacity and quality. Our chamber immediately moved to become an accredited chamber. Now it offers you 5-star service. Silifke CCI makes our community proud with its visionary work. SİTSO Academy is the best example of this. Leadership Academy and Strategy Workshop was also worthy of Silifke.”

Stating that he visits every inch of Anatolia every year, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Everyone is talking politics in Turkey. They even think of me as politicians in Anatolia. People think politician when you say leader. Everyone’s obsessed with being president. One in six is president. In my eyes, every entrepreneur is a leader.”

- The path to wealth is entrepreneurship

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the path to prosperity is through trade. He stated that it was observed in a foreign study in 1912 that Turkish people tend towards being civil servants or officers rather than entrepreneurs. The TOBB President stated that after World War II, Germany and Japan recovered thanks to the rise of the entrepreneur middle class and that today, the world's 20 richest countries are the 20 most entrepreneurial countries.

Stating that real capital is not money, but invention in this age, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We raised our children to not invent. It is imperative to do the job in a way that no one does. Those who cannot renew themselves lose.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu gave examples of Nokia, Facebook, Uber, Alibaba.com and Tüpraş on entrepreneurship.

- No dreams without direction

Stating that no wind can help a directionless ship, Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized the importance of goals and dreams. Describing the contributions of Turgut Özal to entrepreneurship in Turkey, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “The late Özal gave us a target. 10 million tourists will come to Turkey, he said. 300,000 tourists were visiting Turkey at the time. They made fun of him. But today there are 35 million tourists. We are in the top 10.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “It is not possible to reach the target of dreams without tears. A Turkish proverb says, ‘To be a sharp knife you need to be hammered relentlessly. Sweat will flow. We will work hard to succeed! I would like to share my own principles: Don’t save on work; save on spending. The trick is honesty. Control first, trust after. Trusting in memory is a surefire way to be mistaken. There is no make-do in business; no team without a leader; birds fly with their flocks.”

- Victory is possible through never giving up

Stating that the essence of entrepreneurship is being bold, Hisarcıklıoğlu gave the example of Google. Before Google, 20 search engines were tried, but only the 21^st was successful; Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized the importance of not giving up. The TOBB President said, “The owner of Angry Birds made 50 unsuccessful games before this game. So the only way to increase the chances of winning is to try more. It is perseverance. So in a nutshell: Never give up your confidence and your dreams.”

Stating that one should nevere lose hope at the workshop, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “The potential of this country is huge. We’ve come so far in 95 years. Think of a country: No bread. Fresh out of the war. Missed the industrial revolution. No capital, no machinery to produce, no trained work force. Not even a tractor to process the soil; no people who speak foreign languages. But what did they have? A great determination. When we get together, we win. We can't alienate aynone. If we exclude people for their opinions, we lose. This country needs every mind. We will stand as one and be united. We'll walk together into the future. And we will win. I believe that.”

- TRNC Prime Minister Tufan Erhürman

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Tufan Erhürman pointed out the importance of vision and purpose in his speech and stated that the effect of the strategy will be seen if these two are set. Erhürman stated that their fundamental vision is the existence and further development of the people. “The social and economic development of our people is our most important existential struggle. If you cannot achieve economic presence, your existence is at risk. While protecting the rights of our people, it is obvious that we need to provide economic and social development of our people as well. Political equality is indispensable. We want to solve the Cyprus problem with a fair and permanent formula.”

- Other speakers

In his speech, Chairman of Silifke CCI Nurettin Kaynar emphasized the brand city potential of the district and mentioned that they are at the forefront in terms of recognition. Kaynar stating that Silifke is a city of tourism, agriculture and export, reported that the Silifke yoghurt and strawberries will receive their geographical markers soon.

Turgay Deniz, President of the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Commerce, stated that it is one of the most important issues of the era to develop strategy and lead. He said that he found efforts to bring scientists and the business community together to be very valuable. Stating that the trade between Turkey and the TRNC should be quota-free and unlimited, Deniz voiced the need for plans and programs to achieve this goal.