31.03.2016 Washington / USA
The business luncheon held by TOBB and the US Chamber of Commerce with the attendances of TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu and Economy Minister Mustafa Elitaş in Washington DC.
In his speech, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the
agreement signed between TOBB and the US Chamber of Commerce have brought
relations to a new level, “The number, scope and frequency of the activities
we’ve undertaken together have increased in such a way as to have reached a new
level. It has become a tradition to host Turkish officials visiting the US as
TOBB and the US Chamber of Commerce. We’ve had opportunity to host the
President of the Republic of Turkey and the Prime Minister as well as Deputy
Prime Ministers and Ministers.”
Expressing his pleasure in hosting Economy Minister Mustafa Elitaş,
Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Mr. Elitaş is intimately familiar with the business
community. Because he, too, comes from a business background. He is also from
Kayseri, as am I. He has been in working closely with our Union since he came
to office. He contributes greatly to the development of our country’s economy
and foreign trade,” and thanked Minister Elitaş.
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that he has visited the US numerous times since
becoming TOBB President in 2001 along with TOBB Board Members and experts, and
that, delegations and officials from Turkey and the US have been hosted, which
have contributed to the development of Turkish-US relations even if modestly.
Reporting that high level bilateral visits have been conducted,
Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We haven’t focused on just Ankara and İstanbul. We’ve
spread our activities throughout all of Turkey. Likewise, we haven’t been
working only in Washington DC or New York in the US; we’ve reached out to
Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago. We will go to new
states and cities this year; we will convey the investment opportunities in
Turkey. In the same way, we will be relaying the investment opportunities in
the US to the companies in Turkey.”
Emphasizing that the scope of activities have been expanded to cover
promising sectors, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that biotech, pharmaceuticals,
healthcare, tourism, communications and venture capital are covered.
Drawing attention to the importance put on Turkey becoming a party for
the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement signed between
the US and the EU or signing an FTA with the US, Hisarcıklıoğlu went on, “In
this regard, we prepared a report last September. We know that there are
significant cooperation opportunities in third countries. That is why the US
Chamber of Commerce opened a region office in İstanbul. We have joint work
underway in the Middle East with an emphasis on the Middle East Trade Center.
We are planning a meeting between TOBB, the US Chamber of Commerce and
the Iranian Chamber of Trade, Industry and Mining. We are undertaking all of
these efforts with regards to the importance put on Turkish-American relations.
Our relations are very robust and important.”
Economy Minister Mustafa Elitaş spoke with American businessmen in
regards to the developments in Turkey and answered the questions of the
attendees while listening to their suggestions.
Elitaş emphasized the importance of inclusion into the TTIP for
resolving many of the issues faced today.
US Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President Myron Brilliant provided
information regarding the US-Turkey Business Council under the US Chamber of
Commerce as well as their cooperation with TOBB.
Speaking in regards to the actions they will take in the healthcare
sector and communications systems in the future, Brilliant stated that TOBB and
the US Chamber of Commerce represent a total of 4.5 million companies and
emphasized the importance of their cooperation.
Attending the meeting were representatives of such prominent companies
as Abbott,
Alpha Technologies, Amgen, Boeing, Coca Cola, DHL, UPS, Dow, Eli Lilly, General
Electric, Honeywell, IBM, Intel, Mastercard, Metlife, Motorola, Nike, PayPal,
Pfizer, Sierra Nevada Corporation.