06.02.2018 Ankara
TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, in his address at the ‘The Role of Public Procurement in Technological Transformation: Local and National Production Conference,’ said, “We are aiming for a higher league, to transition to high technology from a structure that produces medium and medium-high technology.”
The ‘Role of Technological Transformation in Public Procurement: Local
and National Production Conference,’ held by Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO), was
held at the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) Conference
Hall. Speaking at the opening of the conference, TOBB President M. Rifat
Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that the right management of public procurement can
give much more effective results than billions of liras in incentive policies, “This
would be the greatest encouragement for the real sector.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the problems which have been complained about
for years like the real estate tax, stamp tax and the share of TRT in the
electricity bills have been resolved. He said that the burden removed from the
industrialists is about 1bn TRY per annum.
Hisarcıklıoğlu said, pointing out that no brave individuals could be
found to produce a domestic car for years, “A call was issued during the
General Assembly by the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan. We answered his call with, 'If you stand with us, we will do it. We
worked diligently with the Minister and found 5 brave parties to take on this
project.”
Reporting that “local and national production” mobilization has been
enacted in order to reduce the import dependency in industry, Hisarcıklıoğlu
said, “Turkey, in terms of products diversity, ranks 7th in Europe. Looking at
the financial value of our industrial production, Turkey’s industrial
production volume was 956bn TRY in 2015, increasing by 9% to exceed 1 trillion
TRY in 2016. The share of high technology class products in industrial
production is 3.3%, while the share of medium-to-high technology group is
25.2%.”
Faruk Özlü, the Minister of Science, Industry and Technology, also spoke:
“We will win the domestic and national production in the industrial war by
utilizing just as our national and local facilities and faculties just as we
will succeed in Operation Olive Branch with our military.”
Minister Özlü stated that the public procurement is an important policy
instrument that contributes to the country's R&D and innovation work.
Indicating that domestic and national production is a strategic approach
and stance, Özlü stated that they aim to focus on medium and high technology
products.
Turkish Grand National Assembly Commission of Industry, Trade, Energy,
Natural Resources, Information and Technology Chairman of the Ziya Altunyaldiz,
said Turkey can reach its global R&D and innovation goals through production
based on local and national production, “I tell everyone, we trust our
industrialists and we can supply everything we need from our own industrialists.”
ATO Chairman Gürsel Baran stated that one of Turkish Industrial Strategy
Document prepared in accordance with Turkey's 2023 targets is the development
of high value added domestic industrial production based on knowledge and
technology. Stating that significance domestic production has been stressed
during Turkey's Independence War and the Second World War, Baran said, “Our
people's self-confidence has been restored thanks to the local and national
production in the last 15 years.”
Ankara Chamber of Industry (ASO) President Nurettin Özdebir, while
noting that Turkey is an outstanding country with its economic performance, said,
“Unless it is sustainable, every success is doomed to oblivion. Sustainability
is among the most basic needs of Turkey.”
Musa Pireci, the Chairman of the Special Advisory Commission on Domestic
Contribution and Commercial Cooperation in Public Procurement, said that their
duty is to contribute to the economy and development of the country by
expanding the local contribution and commercial business association in the
public procurement.