Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Attending the traditional Award Ceremony held by the Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TSO) in addition to TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu were Food, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Mehdi Eker, EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and TOBB Board Vice President and Antalya TSO Board President Çetin Osman Budak.

Speaking at the ceremony, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that Antalya, which he visits three times a year, is a great morale boost for him, that the unity and solidarity to be found in Antalya is quite important for the Turkish private sector. Hisarcıklıoğlu said that it is important for individuals of differing views, convictions to come together on a single platform for the development of Antalya’s economy.

Recalling the saying, “Grace in unity; anguish in dissent,” Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that political and professional organizations in Antalya are producing joint projects for the city. Reminding everyone that the province which brought the local products fair to Turkey’s attention was Antalya, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that, thanks to this, one of the main focuses of the retail legislation has become local products.

Congratulating Antalya for producing another minister, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “I would like to congratulate the EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. He has proven to us just how active a Turkish parliamentarian can be in Europe. In this regard, I believe that we can complete the most important transformation project together with the support of the Turkish private sector.”

Reporting that they have visited Brussels along with representatives of the workers’, public servants’ and agricultural chambers’ chambers, Hisarcıklıoğlu went on: “We went to Brussels in order to show that we, the NGOs and professional organizations, fully support Turkey’s transformation project.

I believe that Çavuşoğlu will succeed at his new post. I believe that he will achieve an important task with the transformation project. A job well done should be appreciated. You will benefit from it. In ceremonies such as this, those who are up at the front ask for no money, only applause.”

Drawing attention to the fact that Turkey is the 7^th largest country in the world in regards to agricultural production, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu said: “Turkey achieved this by enacting a strategy when there was none. Turkey has become a brand name for vegetables and fruit production. The capital of which is the rapidly growing Antalya. The ratio of entrepreneurs increased by an average of 35% while Antalya’s ratio increased by 45% in the last 5 years.

Employment increased by 38% in the last 5 years throughout Turkey while it was 48% in Antalya; the employment of women increased by 54% while it was 72% in Antalya. There is a 100% increase in Antalya’s institution tax and 60% in income taxes. While 5 million lost gainful employment in Europe, the Turkish private sector provided 5 million people with employment over the course of the last 5 years.”

We achieved all of this despite a global crisis. One of the greatest contributors to this success is Antalya. Antalya is the only city which brings in 10 billion USD in exports in Turkey. If Antalya sneezes, Turkey gets sick. Antalya puts out 9 billion TL in agricultural production and exports 500 million USD worth of agricultural goods. If it weren’t for Antalya, Ankara and İstanbul would not have vegetables and fruits.”

Stating that tourism has also contributed greatly to Turkey’s growth even with the global crisis, the TOBB President said, “The current deficit for 2013 amounted to 60 billion USD due to energy. If it weren’t for the tourism industry, the deficit would have been 90 billion USD. Turkey would have had to finance this deficit. That is why Antalya is important. Antalya deserves to be connected with a high-speed train and an extension to its runways at the Gazipaşa Airport.”

Calling to mind the promise to address issues stemming from overdraft checks, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “There was a bubble in overdraft checks. We said we were working on the issue. This has been entered into the legislation. We now have the ability to view history on the entity paying us in checks by registering at the credit registry bureau in chambers of commerce and industry. No longer will we have to trade in the blind. We can conduct trade in an informed manner.”

Stating that one should not focus on the daily happenings of temporary nature overly much, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We need to look at the big picture. We have the power to overcome these problems as the private sector. We showed this during the 2001 crisis. We will focus on Turkey’s future. If we focus on the future, if there is hope, I believe that there is nothing we cannot accomplish as the Turkish sector and entrepreneurs.”

- Other speakers

TOBB Board Vice President and Antalya TSO Board President Çetin Osman Budak stated that Turkey is undergoing a difficult period of time with tension in politics, the streets, as well as in governmental institutions. Budak said that this tension is negatively impacting the economy.

Budak drew attention to the fact that the basis of development is founded on freedom democracy and law. Budak stated that Turkey is in need of a new model for growth and stressed the need for public and private sector cooperation.

 EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu expressed his happiness in seeing Turkey grow despite the global crisis. Stating that the exports from Antalya have increased in the last 10 years, Çavuşoğlu reported that 14 billion TL of investments have been made into Antalya. Stating that they are very pleased with the partnership with Antalya as the EU Ministry, Çavuşoğlu said that Antalya is making great use of the EU financial cooperation.

Food, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Mehdi Eker reported that the forestation work at the venue where the Antalya EXPO 2016 would take place has started today. Pointing out the importance of the agriculture sector, Eker stated that they do not view agriculture as just a social area concerning people living in rural areas; stating that they view agriculture to be a strategic matter in regards to the projection that it will become one of the most important areas of contention in the 21^st century.