07.02.2017 Ankara
The Turkish Economy Forum was hosted by TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu with the participation of the President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and relevant economy ministers. Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We have to tighten the ranks inside while the outside gets worse. The fire of reform will shine and the ratings companies which disparaged us will be ashamed.”
The Turkish Economy
Forum organized by TOBB and hosted by M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu at the TOBB Twin
Towers was attended by the President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, Prime Minister Deputies Numan Kurtulmuş,
Mehmet Şimşek and Nurettin Canikli, Minister of Science, Industry and
Technology Faruk Özlü, Labor and Social Affairs Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu, Economy
and Industry Minister Nihat Zeybekci, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
Berat Albayrak, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock Faruk Çelik,
Minister of Customs and Commerce Bülent Tüfenkci, Minister of Development Lütfi
Elvan and Minister of Finance Naci Ağbal.
Hisarcıklıoğlu stating
that following the terrorist organizations like PKK and Daesh, FETO's
treacherous coup attempt had also caused many difficulties for the country, “We
showed that with the leadership of our President and the strength of our
nation, we have the power to overcome all of them.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu
remarked that despite the turbulence, the private sector invested 155 billion TRY
in machinery and equipment in the last year, exported 141 billion USD of goods,
and obtained 38 billion USD foreign currency income in the tourism, maritime and
contracting sectors.
- “Tax cuts were a good move”
Hisarcıklıoğlu
underscored the fact that despite the positive developments, there are also
troubles. He went on as follows:
“80% of the Turkish
economy is due to domestic consumption. The world economy and global trade have
slowed down for a long time and it has become even more important to keep our domestic
market alive in this environment. Let's not forget that economy is like
composite containers. You need employment for production; you need domestic consumption
for production. Now it is time to keep your hand in order to make bigger leaps
in the future. The deduction of tax on home appliances, furniture and housing
sectors by the government has been a right move in this respect.
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated
that confidence and stability lay at the basis of all the achievements Turkey
has achieved in recent years. He said that crises occur when there is no trust
and stability.
- President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
In his speech, President
of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “The facts have emerged to
show us that we will have difficulty in continuing our way with confidence and
full capacity without completely crushing the heads of terrorist organizations
like FETO, Daesh and PKK.”
Erdoğan expressed
that they have taken every step of the economy through consultation and said
that they came together today for such a consultation. Erdoğan said that consultation
has a special place in their values system. Erdoğan said that business people’s
opinions about the country, cities, sectors are always important.
Erdoğan underlined
that consultation has made a great contribution to growth of Turkey in the last
14 years of 300% in total and underlined the fact that today and in the future,
cooperation will accelerate the march towards 2023 goals.
President Erdoğan
expressed that business circles, organizations represented under the TOBB
framework, deserve praise for their firm stance during the coup attempt of FETO,
said:
“I expect you to be
more sensitive to the cleansing of the business from FETO. The facts have emerged
to show us that we will have difficulty in continuing our way with confidence
and full capacity without completely crushing the heads of terrorist organizations
like FETO, Daesh and PKK. I offer my gratitude to each of you individually for
what you have done so far for the prosperous, peaceful, powerful future of our
country and our nation. I believe that our nation sees the truth, Turkey is
facing one of the most critical challenges of its history.”
- Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım
Prime Minister Binali
Yıldırım addressed TOBB members and said, “If every member employs one person,
1.5 million new business areas, new businesses. As the President said, at least
one. Hiring two means 3 million jobs. We will take two steps when you take one to
expand the economy of the country; to create new business areas for our people.
We won’t just burden you alone with this.”
Yıldırım stated that
it is very important for the Summit to be held in the first days of 2017 and he
stated that the chamber and commodity exchange representatives from every
corner of the country have come to Ankara to keep the pulse of the economy.
Yıldırım said that
the Turkey’s economy has had a plethora of successes in the last 15 years and
that with the currency fluctuations in the global economy as well as some
circles and foreign economic lobbies have been acting to implement their plans
for Turkey.”