Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Greeted by Board President Atila Menevşe, Council President Tarkan Kulak, Vice Presidents Mehmet Şahbaz and Halis Bayrak as well as Board Members and Council Members during his visit to the Adana Chamber Commerce, TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu spoke at the meeting attended by the officials of the Chambers and Exchanges of the city and its environs.

Stating that the elections of most of the 365 Chambers and Exchanges in Turkey have been completed, Hisarcıklıoğlu congratulated the newly elected Chamber and Commerce administrations, “The TOBB elections have been the most democratic elections of Turkey. The elections in our Chambers and Exchanges have been exemplary. We know that there is competition wherever there is democracy. Our community will always have competition to serve but never fights. We have shown once again that our community adheres to peace the most in the country. I wouldn’t want to think of it any other way. We would be the first to lose in the absence of peace. In this regard, our businessmen are considered envoys of peace, just like everywhere else in the world.”

Stating that Adana is an essential of the Turkish economy and that Adana’s businessmen paid the price to bring the concept of industrialization to Anatolia in the past, TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Adana has always been the primary force behind the industrialization and prosperity of this country. However, in recent years, I see with sadness that they have been unable to continue their mission to this end. At this point, important duties fall to the Chambers and Exchanges to bring Adana out of the lull in which it finds itself today and to make Adana leap forward.

If Adana cannot reclaim its former economic power, I do not think the 2023 goals of our government can be achieved either. You don’t need a lot to achieve this. All you need to do is maintain unity and solidarity while working hard. Let’s not forget that there are no perfect, infallible humans. That is for Allah alone. That is why the Adana Chamber of Commerce must put the little spats behind it and embrace each other as a community. This is the time to serve. As residents of Adana, you are sitting on a veritable gold mine but you are unable to actualize your potential due to small reasons. That is why you must ignore small mistakes and recognize that our differences are our wealth, thus bringing prosperity to Adana once again.”

Answering questions on various matters, Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, regarding a request for the building of a school in Adana, said, “We have already given our word on this matter. We will be signing the protocol for a school to be built by TOBB in Adana and hopefully will be competing construction soon after.”

Following the meeting, ATO Council President Tarkan Kulak and Board President Atila Menevşe presented TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu with a painting in honor of his visit.