Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the key to success is thinking and acting together and said, “As our religion teaches us, let us not forget that there is prosperity in unity.”

ECO Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 17th Executive Council and 12th General Assembly Meetings were held in Ankara at the TOBB Union Center hosted by M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu and the attendance of Development Minister Cevdet Yılmaz. The opening speeches were made by Hisarcıklıoğlu, Minister Yılmaz and EİT TSO President Dr. Mohammad Nahavandian and the Pakistan Chamber President Kadir Khan Sherani.

The meetings wherein commercial and economic cooperation in the EİT zone were discussed were attended by chamber presidents, vice presidents and representatives of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

- Hisarcıklıoğlu: We are working to develop regional prosperity

In his speech, TOBB President and EİT TSO Vice President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that they, the private sector representatives of the region’s countries, are working to improve regional development and prosperity.

Stating that world economies are undergoing a great change, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “The center of gravity of the global economy is shifting to the East. Opportunity is at our door. The formula which brought Europe out of WWII was cooperation. In the region which brought about two world wars, commerce and prosperity reigned. Now, it is our turn to achieve that.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the ECO region, which houses 6% of the world’s population, only receives 2% of its trade volume and said, “The total trade volume of the region was 850 billion dollars in 2011. Only 7% of that figure was from intra-region trade. We saw the same figure last year. The statistics show that the precautions we take to increase the trade between us are insufficient.

EU countries conduct 70% of their trade amongst themselves. They have lifted visas both in terms of goods and people. As ECO countries, we do not conduct even 10% of our trade between us. Because we put obstacles in the way of trade. Unlike developed countries, we do not trade between ourselves as neighbors.”

- “Commerce means prosperity; prosperity means peace”

“Let us not forget that commerce means prosperity and prosperity means peace. If we want our countries to live in peace, we must facilitate trade between us, we must encourage it. Without intra-region trade, we can’t achieve development, prosperity or wealth. The fact that the ECOTA Preferential Trade Agreement will enter into effect on January 1st, 2013, among the countries which have presented their list of concessions is a promising development. However, it is not sufficient. ECO is a cooperation platform between 10 counties.

Sadly, we are unable to coerce all member countries to be party to ECOTA which would remove obstacles to trade in a unilateral manner. I urge Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to sign the Agreement as soon as possible. We have a saying, ‘Those who consult will not be mistaken’. This is the reason for ECO’s existence; to strengthen consultation and cooperation between member states.”

- “The main issue is developing cooperation”

Pointing out that the main issue of ECO countries is developing their cooperation with each other, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Clearly, the magic word to enter the wealthy club in this age is ‘cooperation’; the key phrase, ‘increase cooperation’. In this age the more you cooperate, the richer you become. Cooperation means shared profit. Now, we must find come forth with a new understanding. We must put forth a strong cooperation. One of our greatest advantages is the fact that the bond of friendship between our peoples is very strong. However, despite the strength of these bonds, we still require visas to visit each others’ countries. We say we are brothers but we can’t visit one another’s house without visas. We do not treat a brother’s house like that of a stranger. We must resolve this.”

Stating that another necessity of cooperation is the quick and effective resolution to commercial disputes, Hisarcıklıoğlu reported that an arbitration mechanism is necessary.

- “Let’s focus on great goals”

Emphasizing the need to focus on great goals, M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “If we wish to make our people wealthier, we must increase this powerful cooperation in the coming term. The changing global economy has brought with it new pursuits in the field of transportation. In order to take the share that our region deserves from the resettling transportations corridors of the global economy, it is imperative that the Silk Road be revitalized. We want to revitalize the Ancient Silk Road with railroads, highways and energy corridors; to make our region into a trading hub.

We have come together and put forth a new project. Our goal is to carry containers on the Turkey-Iran-Pakistan line via the İstanbul-Tehran-Islamabad Railroad Project in just 13 days. We are continuing to work in regards to the Cooperation Agreement we signed last year in Karachi. Customs procedures and its system need to be transparent; costs should be predictable and off the record activities must be eliminated. The customs crossings between our countries should be compatible and on the same standards. I believe that the great dynamism of our region, coupled with political will, will allow us to accomplish great works in short order.”

- “The obstacles to economic cooperation must be eliminated”

“While on the one hand, we must remove obstacles to our economic cooperation; on the other we hand, we must diversify the production structures of our countries and increase our competitive power. We must render our economies more open and integrated to the world economy. We must render our countries attractive to the global capital for industrial development. For that, we must improve the investment environment.

We must prioritize the structuring of the organized industry zones which provide great advantages to SMEs. We must provide all necessary support to our SMEs who are the driving force behind our economies. That is how Turkey has been able to leap ahead in the last 30 years. Don’t forget; in this century, we either win together or lose together.”

- EİT TSO President Nahavandian

In his speech, the Economic Cooperation Organization Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EİT TSO – ECO CCI) President Dr. Mohammad Nahavandian stated that political and economic developments are indicators, “The 21st century will not be the century of America and Europe, it will be the century of Asia.”

Stating that while the trade volume of the world and region has decreased, the trade volume among EİT member states is slowly but surely increasing, Nahavandian emphasized that in order to increase the region’s trade, banking, finance and transportation efforts need to increase.

- Pakistan Union of Industry and Commerce Chambers President Sherani

Pakistan Union of Industry and Commerce Chambers President Haji Fazal Kadir Khan Sherani also drew attention to the fact that trade volume between member states was low and that given the right conditions, trade volume could increase eight-fold.

Sherani emphasized that the responsibility for economic development has shifted from the state to the private sector and that the private sector holds more importance today.

Pointing out that the private sector not only provides employment and the creating of national income, Sherani stated that private sector representatives are also a part of the economic decision making process.

- Development Minister Cevdet Yılmaz

The Development Minister Cevdet Yılmaz said, “In the coming term we must aim to create a region purged of visas wherein everyone can travel freely.”

Pointing out that this region, which could be considered the heart of the world, holds strategic importance, said, “However, none of us can say that we are utilizing this strategic advantage to gain sufficient added value, prosperity, development and progress. We must conduct thorough introspection and walk surely into the future. Our vision is to have clearer, more cooperation, more mobility and more freedom.”

Stating that the cooperation between the public administration and the private sector needs to be increased, Yılmaz said, “As Turkey, we practice this on a very large scale and have received successful results. It is very important to spread this to the whole region; both for the development of the region and for the private sector to be able to create new employment opportunities.
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