14.05.2015 Kayseri
Attending the Future in Kayseri Award Ceremony in Kayseri, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that Kayseri’s success and development is built on unity and solidarity, saying, “Kayseri’s development is textbook-worthy.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu thanked the Kayseri Chamber of Commerce Chair Mahmut
Hiçyılmaz for hosting the event, “’Future in Kayseri’ is very meaningful. It
shows us where the North Star is. It is especially important that the chamber
is giving out awards for 50 years of service; this shows loyalty. Those who
wonder why the future is in Kayseri should look to the last 50 years. Kayseri
used to be known as solely a city for a long time. It learned industrialization
by itself. It became Turkey’s most important export city. It invested in
education. It became one of the most important cities for education.
Universities in Kayseri have come to be the most preferred after the ones in
İstanbul and Ankara. Now, the goal is to become a city for tourism. It has come
far. Consider: There are no ports, no shores, no fertile soil, no highways, no
borders with foreign countries, no discernable advantages at all. How has all
of this been achieved? Through unity and solidarity.”
- Trade intellect,
entrepreneurial power
Stating that an advantage Kayseri has is its people, Hisarcıklıoğlu
said, “It’s not me saying it. It’s you. We conduct surveys in the cities we
visit. I asked what the greatest advantage the city had was. Each city answers
differently. What did Kayseri say? Trade intellect and culture, hard-working,
entrepreneurial spirit and power.”
- Kayseri surpassing all
indicators
Reporting that Kayseri is ahead of Turkey’s averages in number of
companies established, number of taxpayers, institutional tax payers, women’s
employment and exports, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they began G3 meetings
wherein they bring youth together with entrepreneurs and said, “These were
always held in İstanbul. Now we are spreading them out over Anatolia. It is
fitting that the first was Kayseri.”
- We must focus on structural
reforms
Pointing out that there are no elections for four years following the
elections in June, Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized the need to focus on structural
reforms. Stating that Kayseri needs an international airport and high velocity
train connections, Hisarcıklıoğlu also urged that Kayseri bi included into the
tourism policies prepared for the Cappadocia Region, calling for a plan for a
tourism destination stretching from Erciyes to the Aladağ range.