Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Held with the participations of Customs Undersecretariat, Turkey Exporters Board (TİM), Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO) and Istanbul Textile and Confection Exporters Union (İTKİB), the Customs 2023 Vision 1st Exploratory Conference was held in Sapanca, Sakarya. Hisarcıklıoğlu, speaking at the end of the conference, emphasized the importance of customs.

Drawing attention to the fact that the world’s production has moved from west to east, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “51% of all the world’s production has moved to east of Turkey. The 49% on Turkey’s west, meaning the world has chosen a new production base. While the production base stands to east of Turkey, the consumption base stands to west of us. Production in the east, consumption in the west. In that case, we must bring the producers and consumers together. One of the most important points for this is China.”

Pointing out that two countries are the driving force of world economy at the moment, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that China and India are growing with great speed.

Drawing attention to the fact that the countries riding the coattails of China’s and India’s economic growth are also showing rapid growth, Hisarcıklıoğlu went on to say;

“China has chosen western China as its production base for its 1 billion 250 million population. Western China as you know is the Uyghur Autonomous Zone. Around 20 million of our Uyghur citizens live there. China wants to change the demographic makeup of the area. To this end they have constructed a new base of production. A new base of production in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Zone. To date, the investment China has made there numbers around 350 million dollars. With plans to expand figures five times this in the next five years, China is planning to complete its production base in Western China. The reason: China wants 100 million living and working there. This is the crucial part; The goods produced here will go to the west, but how?”

Stating that there are 3 overland routes for the goods to move west via roads and railways, Hisarcıklıoğlu spoke further on the subject, “First, via Kazakhstan and Russia. This road is 6.500 kilometers. The second way, which concerns us the most, called the middle way. This road goes over Kazakhstan, The Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, which amounts to 5.600 kilometers. The shortest way takes 18 days and is too expensive. As TOBB, the overarching business association of Turkey’s business world, we have worked towards a favorable outcome for the last six years.”

Stating that countries on trade routes are protected by all other countries, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that countries should work to be on trade and energy routes for their own welfare. Pointing out the fact that powerful countries do not want instability in countries on trade and energy routes, Hisarcıklıoğlu went on, “If we can place ourselves firmly on these routes nobody would wish for instability here to ensure that ‘There is stability so my lines of trade will remain stable’. Secondly there is the matter of prosperity. Even if only the dust from passing trucks were to settle here that would be enough. We have become the second most successful transportation sector in the world.”

-Modernization of Customs Gates

Reminding that they have held several meetings with the Undersecretariat of Customs in conjunction with the Silk Road Project, Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out the fact that making the Silk Road Project into a priority goal was paramount in order to ensure the safety, unity, solidarity and prosperity of the Turkish nation.
In regards to the aforementioned project, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that TOBB and the Undersecretariat of Customes have implemented a unique application the like of which exits nowhere else in the world.
Keeping trucks ate customs gates has a high cost and is no longer an issue with the new system, “Each year we save 450 million dollars. The duration has decreased to a quarter of what it once was. A single customs gate, just like Switzerland, France, Italy and Germany. What is a single customs gate? As you leave here on your way to Greece, you go through both customs and passport check. The repeat of the same process happens in your way from Greece. Our project is to make this into a single process. Our first project is with Syria. We are reconstructing the Nusaybin customs gate. Once a truck checks out on our side it will go directly into Syria without a second process and vice versa.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu expressed plans to replicate this process with Syria in other neighboring states.

Workgroups working on subjects such as “Simplification of Customs Processes and Facilitating Commerce” and “Defining the Road Map for Sales-Exports alongside Passengers” were undertaken during the two day conference under the moderation of Associate Professor Oğuz Babüroğlu.

A report pertaining to subjects of the conference will be released in the upcoming days.
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