Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

TOBB Chambers of Commerce Council Meeting was hosted by TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu with the attendances of Customs and Commerce Minister Bülent Tüfenkci and council members.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that it would be impossible for Turkey to increase its exports to its 500 billion USD goal without finding new goods, companies or markets; he stressed the importance of fostering a culture of innovation.

Stating that Turkey needs a new growth story and a new industry policy, Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized the importance they put on the 25 Prioritized Transformation Programs and the 2016 Action Plan.

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that private and public sector cooperation will allow Turkey to increase its tempo to reach its goals. He stated that 2015 has been a difficult year for the real sector.

Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that political stability has been achieved domestically while new upheavals are seen daily throughout the world, “The US economy is recovering, “We considered this good news for the global economy. However, that has brought on problems of its own. We used to consider if FED might raise interest rates, whereas now we are trying to figure out how many times it will increase them in 2016.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu noted that the developments in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine present risk, adding that the matter with Russia is affecting especially the business community in the region; that this is not just an economic matter but also affects the social structure there.

Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that chamber and exchange presidents are opinion leaders in the East and Southeast Anatolian regions, relaying to them the issues and suggestions of PM Ahmet Davutoğlu for the region. He stated that their tax and premium debts would be delayed to May in order to offset the losses incurred by the troubles in the region.

- Customs and Commerce Minister Tüfenkci

Customs and Commerce Minister Bülent Tüfenkci reported that exports have reached 132 billion USD despite regional and global conditions that the precautions taken have proven valuable.

Stating his priority as Minister is to facilitate legal trade as much as possible Tüfenkci stressed the importance of speeding up customs procedures in order to maximize global competitive power of the Turkish business community.

TOBB Chambers of Commerce Council Chair Ekrem Demirtaş stated that it has been a difficult year with 2 elections, reemerging terror, the refugee and Russia crises, expressing his hopes for a new year with peace, stability and economic growth.

Stating that morale of the private sector is quite low, Demirtaş reiterated their suggestion that taxpayers who pay their taxes regularly should have access to various financial tools to restructure their debts.