07.04.2017 Hakkari
Esendere Customs Gate, modernized by Customs and Commerce Enterprises (GTI) Co Inc under TOBB’s leadership, was opened with the participation of Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu. Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the gate is the gate of Anatolia to Iran and Central Asia and said, “Hakkari will become rich and Turkey will become rich. Iran will also become rich. So we will all win together. As TOBB, we always acted with this vision.”
In addition to
Hisarcıklıoğlu, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet
Şimşek, Customs and Trade Minister Bülent Tüfenkci, Turk-İş President Ergun
Atalay, TESK President Bendevi Palandöken and Officer-Sen President Ali Yalcin
were also present at the opening ceremony. In his speech, TOBB President
Hisarcıklıoğlu said that in this critical period, it is very meaningful to have
such an investment, especially in Hakkari, while emphasizing that this region
is a very important step that will open it up to global trade and achieve
prosperity and wealth.
Touching on the coup
attempt of July 15th, a treacherous and treacherous violence
originated by FETO, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Terrorist organizations such as the
PKK, DAESH, and FETÖ, which are not related to each other, targeted our country
during the same period. The treacherous coup attempt of FETÖ caused many
troubles for my country. The region around us has become a complete circle of
fire. Any other country would have folded if they went what we went through.
But we stand strong. Thank Allah we have shown the world that we will not be
defeated no matter how many players move against us.”
-If it there is trade, there’s money and wealth
The TOBB President
stated that, “The basic rule of the economy is that if there is trade, there is
money. If there’s money there’s wealth. Our dream is to turn the course of
global trade back to this geography. With Esendere we will be one step closer
to translating this dream into reality. This will be Anatolia’s gate to Iran
and Central Asia. Hakkari will become rich, Turkey will become rich. Iran will
also become rich. So we will all win together. As TOBB, we have always acted
with this vision. We perform approximately 40% of our exports by road. For many
years we have neglected our border gates. The trucks of our exporting
entrepreneurs were queuing for miles. With the positive approach and approval
of our government, we have achieved a first in the world. We started to modernize
the land customs gates with build-operate-transfer model. Doing so did not cost
the state a single cent. On the contrary, the tax revenue of the state
increased exponentially thanks to the more efficient and voluminous crossing. To
this day, we have built 10 border gates with our state-of-the-art technologies for
our country.”
-Private sector gains 410 million TRY annually
Hisarcıklıoğlu, speaking
about the Ministry's work, said that the private sector has saved 410 million TRY
a year from freight costs, as the waiting period for trucks carrying goods is
shortened. Hisarcıklıoğlu said, in other words, every year, industrialists,
traders and entrepreneurs said that they have saved more than 410 million TRY.
Hisarcıklıoğlu said that this practice, which has been misunderstood by public
and private sector partnership, has received great acclaim in the world. “For
the first time by the United Nations, a project by Turkey has been selected and
shown as the best example in the world. All around the world, 'If you make your
border crossings fast, if you make it safe, do as Turkey does,' is what they
say. Now, we are working to export this model to the neighboring countries in
the surrounding region.”
- That is what chambers and the commodity exchanges do
Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said,
“This is what Chamber-Exchanges do. They invest in Turkey's future. To the
state, to its member. I would like to thank the Chamber-Commodity Exchange
Presidents who are the architects of this success. We also invested 75 million TRY
for Esendere.
The facility originally
stood on 28,000 square meters. The new Esendere Customs Gate is built on a
total area of 50,000 square meters. Designed to suit global commercial needs,
this new gate features state-of-the-art x-ray, camera and access systems. Hopefully
together with Esendere, Hakkâri will once again gain splendor. Currently, our
bilateral trade with Iran is around 10 billion USD.
Our goal is to raise this
to 30 billion USD. Again, this will be the key point of the Historic Silk Road
linking Far East Asia to Europe. The revival of the Silk Road will greatly
contribute to the trade and development of this region.”
- Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım
Prime Minister
Binali Yıldırım thanked TOBB for its contributions. Prime Minister Yıldırım
stated that they had experienced great sorrows in these regions in the recent
past, “The ditches were excavated. People have been forced from their homes.
Innocent people were murdered. Many were martyred and wounded. Thank goodness
now everywhere our flag is flying everywhere again. Our aim is not to let the
traitors of the bastions enter our country between us now. It is like a pair of
two legs that are basically a FETO and a PKK. They feed from the same source
and they are of one mind.”
- Customs and Trade Minister Bülent Tüfenkci
Customs and Trade
Minister Bulent Tüfenkci also pointed out the importance of border trade in his
speech. Pointing out that border trade has a vital place in the exports of the
province, Tüfenkci pointed out that “Besides border trade, it is important to
remember that the vehicles entering and leaving Esendere Customs benefit the
local economy. More than 400,000 passengers enter and exit; 80,000-90,000 vehicles
per year.