Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they attach importance to the development of relations between Turkey and the Russian Federation, “Bilateral economic and trade relations should be the driving force of our relations with the Russian Federation. Russia is one of Turkey's most important foreign trading partners. Our business people have been active in the Russian Federation for a long time. They also established successful partnerships. As a result, despite the Covid-19 pandemic that shook the world, our trade volume with Russia was 22 billion dollars in 2020.”

Noting that their main goal is to reach 100 billion dollars in the trade volume of the two countries, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that cooperation in the fields of trade, energy, contracting, investment and tourism will help achieve this goal.

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that Turkey is the most preferred holiday destination of Russian citizens before the restrictions imposed by the Covid outbreak, and with the start of flights this week, they will continue to welcome many guests from Russia.

- “Bilateral relations with Tatarstan are based on strong history and economic history”

Emphasizing that the expansion of cooperation between Turkey and Russia also contributes greatly to the development of relations with Tatarstan, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “The Republic of Tatarstan is one of the most economically developed, richest and prosperous regions of the Russian Federation. Kazan is a very exceptional city with richness, culture and science. Kazan University is one of the 3 oldest universities in Russia with a long history of more than 200 years. Many famous names, such as Tolstoy and Lenin, graduated here or studied here. On the other hand, in the establishment and development of the Republic of Turkey, there are many important names of Tatarstan origin such as Yusuf Akçura, Sadri Maksudi, İsmail Gaspıralı. In addition, Turkey's most important historians are of Tatar origin such as İlber Ortaylı and Kemal Karpat. The famous Tatar Poet Gabdulla Tukay is well known and loved in Turkey. In his memory, there is a street and park in both Istanbul and Ankara where his statue and name are given in the city center. In fact, at the opening of the one in Istanbul, in 2012, the President honored us with his presence.”

Reminding that Kazan and Istanbul were declared sister cities, TOBB President said that bilateral relations with Tatarstan are based on strong history and economic partnership.

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they want to cooperate more with Tatarstan. “Tatarstan is an important center of investment for our companies. After Moscow, the Republic of Tatarstan is the region in Russia where Turkish companies invest and trade the most. Total Turkish investments are around $2.5 billion. Among the foreign-owned companies operating in Tatarstan, Turkish companies are at the forefront. This gives us pride and happiness.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that 2085 projects were successfully realized by Turkish contracting firms in Russia totaling $84 billion as of the end of May 2021, and that $2.5 billion of these projects were in Tatarstan. In the coming period, we are willing to carry out new projects with local partners. In other words, we want to increase the volume of trade and investment even more.”

- “There is the opportunity to trade and invest in all areas between Turkey and Tatarstan”

Explaining that Turkey is the largest producer of commercial vehicles, white goods, textiles and agricultural products in Europe, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Despite the Covid pandemic, Turkey's economy grew by 1.8% last year and by 7% in the first quarter this year. Our exports increased by 38 percent to 85 Billion dollars in the first 5 months of this year. In 2020, our biggest exporter is the automotive sector with $25 billion in exports. 80% of the cars produced in Turkey and 70% of the white goods are exported to Europe. In foreign contracting, 44 of the world's top 250 companies originate from Turkey. We are among the top 10 destinations in the world in Tourism. We are also growing rapidly in health tourism. In 2020, 1.3 million foreign patients chose Turkey to receive health care. Rehabilitation and thermal health tourism have great development potential. We hope that more Russian citizens will benefit from these opportunities.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that there is an opportunity to trade and invest in all areas between Turkey and Tatarstan, “We think that large companies, especially those operating in the energy, petrochemical and automotive sectors, can benefit from investment opportunities in Turkey. We are also aware of the importance you attach to the halal market. In this context, we can carry out joint projects in the field of halal food. Our other possible area of cooperation is electronic commerce. Russia is one of the fastest growing e-commerce countries in the world. Turkey, on the other hand, is an experienced and reliable partner in e-exports. The delivery of our Turkish brands to the Russian market through e-commerce will positively affect our bilateral trade. In short, we are ready to cooperate with you in all areas.”

- President Minnihanov

Commenting on the bilateral economic relations of Tatarstan, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnihanov said, “Today, the cooperation agreement between Tatarstan and Turkey is in operation and the consulate general of the Republic of Turkey is successfully acting in Kazan. Kazan has sister city relations with cities in Turkey with Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya and Eskişehir. The Republic of Tatarstan is one of the most important economic partners of the Republic of Turkey."

Following the opening speeches, Albert Karimov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, Minister of Industry and Trade, presented the Economy and Investment Opportunities of Tatarstan.

At the end of the meeting, under the testimony of TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu and Tatarstan President Minnihanov, an agreement on cooperation in the development of renewable energy sources and confidentiality agreement was signed between the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Tatarstan and Güriş Construction and Engineering Inc.