19.09.2017 Mersin
TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu attended the joint meeting of the Mersin province chambers / commodity exchanges, stating that he had come to Mersin once in the past since assuming office of TOBB President and said, “Mersin is very important for Turkey. The pearl of the Mediterranean; a global city. Anatolia's gateway to the world.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu
stated that the union and solidarity of the chambers/exchanges in Mersin is an
example to all of Turkey, “It is easy to solve issues in unity and solidarity. There
is grace and prosperity in unity.”
TOBB
President reported that all 9 chambers/exchanges except one in Mersin are accredited,
“What does an accredited chamber/exchange mean? It means 5-star service for its
member. It's like with hotels. This assessment is made by an international
organization. The service provided by any to be found in Paris, Berlin or London
chambers.”
TOBB
President Hisarcıklıoğlu said that the Chamber/Exchanges in Mersin always make
the sacrifice for the development of Mersin and its districts.
Stating
that Mersin is a city of tourism, industry, logistics, agriculture and
education, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “In tourism; You have 321 km of coast, 108 km of
natural beaches. There is no other place like it. We have 10 blue flagged
beaches. Besides sea tourism, there is also religious and cultural tourism. Mersin
is getting less than its share from tourism in comparison to its potential. We
need to attract more local and foreign tourists here.
In
the industry, it is a production base for the Mediterranean with its OIZs and
free zones. Look, 10 years ago, Mersin had 6 companies in ISO-1000; today there
are 10.
In
logistics, Mersin is the seaport for Central, East and Southeastern Anatolia.
Mersin port is the 2nd in Turkey, 91st largest port in
the world. There are 4 sea border gates. The Konya-Mersin railway project is
very important in terms of logistics. Çukurova Regional Airport will further
strengthen the logistical power of Mersin.
In
agriculture, Mersin is in the top 3 provinces in vegetable production. 53% of
Mersin is forest, 24% is agricultural land. The soil is fertile. 72% of banana
production, 70% of lemon and 40% of strawberries are produced here. Mersin is
first in Turkey in the production of all three products.
In
education, there are 3 universities. It is a center of attraction in higher
education. As you can see, Mersin is a versatile and highly competitive city.
I
see that the business community of Mersin is also continuing to invest in the
future of Mersin.”