Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

In his speech at the opening of the meeting, Şaban Aziz Karamehmetoğlu, Member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB), stated that how green and digital transformation can be realized in the industry was discussed and said, “As Türkiye, we cannot stay out of this radical change process in our export markets. The future of our country's industry depends on how we can adapt to this process. Today, mineral products are found in agriculture, buildings, construction chemicals, vehicles, paper, plastics, energy and high-tech products, in short, in every field of production. In other words, mining is present in every stage of our lives. Therefore, the mining sector is one of the sectors that will be most affected by this transformation and will experience radical changes in the production chain. We must continue to transform and develop our sector in accordance with the spirit of the time.”

- The future of the world lies in mining

Karamehmetoğlu underlined that in this process, where energy supply security is more valuable than ever, the sector should be able to make appropriate use of domestic resources such as coal: “The future of the world lies in mining. We should approach the issue with this sensitivity and utilize our natural resources in the most efficient way. Our Turkish Mining Council under the roof of TOBB, chaired by Mr. İbrahim Halil Kırşan, works with the awareness of this importance and brings together all stakeholders of the sector around the same goal. Our Council has worked very closely with our Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and contributed to many legal and administrative regulations. It ensured the formulation of public policies on mining. Our Minister has always taken a close interest in our sector. He listened to the issues on the agenda of the sector at every opportunity and produced solutions. I wish him success in this important task he has undertaken, and on behalf of our industry, I would like to express my gratitude for the support he has given to the private sector.”

- Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar stated that 6,600 hectares of mining sites have been rehabilitated to date and more than 18 million trees have been replanted in these areas.

Minister Bayraktar said that mining should be carried out with a holistic approach together with the environment, not against it.

At the meeting, where the current state of the mining sector, the problems the sector faces and potential solutions were discussed, Bayraktar noted that the mining sector has become an important center of attention in the national and international arena.

Bayraktar stated that within the framework of the national energy and mining policy, intermediate and end product production is targeted in order to provide high added value from mines.

Stating that the sector has provided direct employment for an average of 136,000 people in the last 15 years, Bayraktar said, “A country that is so rich in resources can go much further. In this sense, we can take the employment contribution much further.”

Bayraktar stated that Türkiye has produced an annual average of 758 million tons of minerals in the last 10 years and said, “Our priority is to meet the minerals needed by our industry with our own means and domestic resources at the highest possible level, to extract our own resources and to bring them into the economy.”

- TOBB Mining Council President İbrahim Halil Kırşan

İbrahim Halil Kırşan, Chairman of the TOBB Mining Council, emphasized that it is inevitable to plan sustainable mining activities in order to ensure development in the country and said, “Our mining needs a new understanding for growth and a new mining strategy that will enable the creation of investor-friendly environments.”

Kırşan stated that the most important problems of the mining sector stem from forest legislation practices, and expressed that their greatest expectation is that mining initiatives before the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will be finalized positively.