Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu attended the “Lunch with the Business World” hosted by Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu at Ankara Sheraton Hotel. Trade Minister Mehmet Muş, Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) Mustafa Gültepe, Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) President Nail Olpak and representatives from the business world also took part in the event.

TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, in his speech, stated that as TOBB, they are the umbrella organization of the Turkish business world, which represents every sector of Turkey, all domestic and foreign companies, all small and large companies, and said, “For this reason, we are actively working not only at home but also abroad. We are at the helm of business organizations between the Atlantic and the Pacific. In other words, we have established networks with business communities around the world. In this way, we support the process of opening up to the outside world of our entrepreneurs and ensure that our enterprises turn to exports and global investments. Domestically, we play a leading role in activities that improve the business and investment environment, vocational training, logistics, and SMEs access to finance. We ensure that entrepreneurship is encouraged, especially women entrepreneurship is spread. We have established Turkey's largest women's and young entrepreneurship institutions.”

“Our ambassadors follow what we will get from the countries and our troubles”

Hisarcıklıoğlu went on, “Our ambassadors contribute to solving the business world's issues. They follow our tenders on behalf of the Turkish business world. On the other hand, they follow all of our troubles, all of our troubles.”

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu, touching on the task given to them by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2017, said, “The 120 year old dream of the Turkish people, a dream that was interrupted in 1960, gave us the task of making the Turkish car. We set out by taking 5 valuable representatives of the Turkish business world with us. Today, Allah willing, we will inaugurate the factory of Turkey's first electric car, which will compete in technology at the same time as the world, and whose IP rights belong entirely to us, on October 29 with our President in Gemlik.”

- Minister of Trade Mehmet Muş

Minister of Trade Mehmet Muş stated that they see the ambassadors as the companions who will give the greatest support to the finalization of the basic economic indicators and targets, and said, “We want to reach this year's export target of 250 billion dollars with your contribution.”

Stating that the world economy, which was first tested by Covid-19 pandemic and then by the Russia-Ukraine War, faced deepening problems in the fields of logistics, supply chains, raw materials, food, energy and global inflation, Muş said that all countries, especially the developing countries, endured a difficult test in this process.

Muş pointed to the expectations of a decrease in the global growth rate, while the growth expectation for the global trade volume also decreased.

- Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu

In his speech, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said, “We are an important logistics and production base in our region. We have direct access to important markets. We have a qualified workforce. Under the leadership of our Ministry of Commerce, we are following policies that will actualize this potential.”

Minister Çavuşoğlu, talking about the difficult process of global trade, said, “Global trade is going through a difficult process. The economic crisis caused by both supply and demand caused by the pandemic was felt at the global level with the rupture of supply chains. In this environment, Turkey has followed an export-oriented economic growth model. We have a huge potential. Those who put forward this potential are with us today. We are an important logistics and production base in our region. We have direct access to important markets. We have a qualified workforce. Under the leadership of our Ministry of Commerce, we are following policies that will realize this potential.”