11.05.2018 Ankara
Delegates serving the TOBB community and the economy of the country were awarded with Service Commendations and commemorative plaques during a ceremony hosted by TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and Customs and Trade Minister Bülent Tüfenkci.
TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, in his opening address, stated that
business people being honored today would always be appreciated; that, through
their efforts and hard work, Chambers and Commodity Exchanges have become the primary
service centers of the real sector. “Institutional services capacities have
grown and have transformed into a structure that the world has taken as an
example. We have actualized the Digital Chamber-Commodity Exchange revolution;
we have become a one-stop-shop. As our chambers and exchanges developed, they’ve
provided the private sector with better quality services. They helped our
companies grow and open up to international markets. Thus, our country received
more investment, increased production, exports and employments. We succeeded in
all of this through unity of hearts, minds and purpose. May Allah grant that
the successes of everyone working for this country be plentiful.”
- Thanks to President Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan
Stating that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with his background in business
life, knows the difficulties of production and trade, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “From
the day you came to office, you always stood by this community. In our General
Assemblies and the Economic Summits, over the course of time, you have listened
to our problems. You have participated in many activities and showed your
support for the Turkish business community. Under your leadership, many
regulations which facilitate business life and reduce the burden on us have
been put into effect. We have realized the employment mobilization, a
historical success, under your leadership. With your support, we provided 1.5
million additional jobs. Again, under your leadership, we will continue the
employment mobilization in 2018. In addition to employment, the chamber and
exchange community showed their difference in financing. We have given you the
first and most concrete contribution to the reduction of interest rates. TOBB,
Chambers and Commodity Exchanges have brought together all their resources.
With the lowest interest rate applied to commercial loans until today, our SMEs
found respite with a 0.99 monthly rate. We made an innovation in financing as
you put it.” TOBB members in the hall gave President Erdoğan a standing ovation.
- Our understanding is not one to
be satisfied with what we have
Reporting that TOBB Respite Credits will continue with the support of
Prime Minister Yıldırım in 2018 as in 2017, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu said,
“Again with your vision, we have started the domestic car project which we’ve
waited years for. During our last General Assembly, you entrusted unto us this
duty. We started to take concrete steps in this matter with Faruk Özlü, our
esteemed Minister of Industry. Praise Allah that this community has fulfilled
all the duties it has received, and will continue to do so. I would like to
express our sincere gratitude to you for your trust and support, on behalf of our
community and myself. We have never been of the understanding of making it
through the day. We are always working for more production, investment,
employment and export. We strive to reach new and much bigger goals in each
area. As today's representatives of ancient Akhi organization, we are working
to be worthy of this blessed heritage of our forefathers. We know that
complaining, just demanding is not enough for us.
We are preparing solution proposals, consulting with you and your
cabinet. From the G-20 to the International Chamber of Commerce; from the
European Union of Chambers, to the Islamic Chamber and even to the Asia-Pacific
Chamber, we have entered into the management of all global platforms. We are the
voice of the Turkish business community, defending our rights on these myriad
platforms. Members of this community provide more employment each year, despite
the hardships they experience. Giving our nation more hope. Investments,
production, employment, exports are generated by the people you see in this hall
and those that they represent.
I am proud of my friends and associates, our entrepreneurs, our assembly
representatives, Chambers and Commodity Exchanges Chairpersons, our council
chairs and general secretaries who filled this hall. I congratulate you once
again. You deserve every compliment lavished on you. You, who fly our Crescent-and-Star
flag around the world, are the pride of Turkey! May the grace of Allah be upon
you all!”
- We will close ranks
Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that global risks are in a period of
re-emergence, both economically and geographically, he pointed out that various
actors also want to bring our country down by using terrorist organizations.
TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu called for closing ranks in the face of all this.
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that confidence and stability lies at the
foundation of all the gains Turkey has achieved in recent years and said, “As
TOBB community, we know very well their value. Because we have not forgotten
what troubles we experienced especially in the 90s when confidence and
stability were nowhere to be found. We, the Turkish private sector, will
continue to produce and work to make our country stronger, richer, more
prosperous tomorrow, as we did yesterday. Until today; just as in YOİKK,
Employment Mobilization, Respite Credits and the domestic automobile, we have
accomplished every mission given to us by our government and we will continue
to work on behalf of the Turkish private sector. I congratulate all my precious
friends and end my words with this: I am honored to be presenting these
rewards, which they deserve so much. From my presidents to my general
secretaries, I heartily congratulate all of my colleagues who serve this
community and wish them a successful year. We are here to serve this country.
We are the in love with this country. We have a lot of work to do. We will not
stop here. We will work harder. And, hopefully, we will put our country among
the top 10 economies in the world. We will continue to strive to bring Turkey to
the place it deserves in the world to match its place in history. May our path
be clear. May Allah stand by us and aid us.”
- President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “I am very pleased to be here today
with the Akhis of our entrepreneurship spirit, our culture; our chamber and
commodity exchange community.” Erdoğan expressed his well wishes for TOBB’s 74th
General Assembly to be held on May 14-15.
Erdoğan congratulated the members of TOBB who will be presented with the
service commendation certificates for their 10th, 20th and 30th anniversaries at
TOBB. “I believe that the strong messages that our business community will
provide through this meeting will be the best answer to those who are trying to
create negative perceptions about our economy.”
- “I see this as my own roof, my own
organization, my own house”
Erdoğan, who has always strived to participate in TOBB's General Assemblies
and important meetings, said, “I put great importance to what you say to us and
the issues we discuss with you. As someone who has traded, ran companies, won
and lost in the past, as one of you, I believe that I can best understand the
feeling in this place.
So I see this as my own roof, my own organization, my own house. I know
that we have friends from different ideas, circles, origins, beliefs. These differences
are not our weakness but our power. I consider every one of you living in the
same house as my brothers and sisters. Your joy is our joy; your troubles are
our troubles. We will share our joys together and solve our troubles together.”
- “Our country has always
profited”
Erdoğan stated that TOBB continues to carry forward the role of
locomotive in the economy.
President Erdogan stressed that they have identified the problems of the
sector and have developed solutions together, stressing that they are looking
for the problems of the regions and cities together.
Erdoğan said that they jointly formulated measures to improve the
investment environment and that they formulated the formula for structuring the
private sector debts. He noted that they jointly decided on the changes in tax
legislation.
Erdoğan said that they made the decision for the Social Security
Institution premium discounts and the formulas that will relieve the business
world together and stated that they also prepared the law that gives advantage
to the local producers in public procurements preference.
Erdoğan spoke to representatives of business circles in the region,
saying, “You put your hand under the stone without hesitating in the call for
employment mobilization and provided 1.5 million jobs but I say let’s continue.
What would you lose if you open your doors? You would profit and break the game.
We are obligated to disrupt the West's games.”
- “Work on the domestic automobile
is going well”
Pointing out that TOBB has contributed to the resources channel into the
market via the Credit Guarantee Fund, Erdoğan said, “When I made a call to the
braves for the domestic automobile in the General Assembly held last year, the
Union answered the call. In fact, there would have been some surprises today
but unfortunately we have delayed them but will start to see the fruits of our
labors very soon. We have not regretted any steps we took together. The only
thing we have to do in order to continue to do what we have done in the past 16
years is to continue working together.
For every investment you make, for every challenge you have, I want you
to know that we are there with you. Again, you know best what we have done to
protect your rights and the law, not just in our country but all over the
world. We have always been honored to walk the path with you towards a
stronger, more prosperous Turkey. We are ready to continue in the same way
after this. I hope to see your decision on June 24th.”
President Erdogan congratulated TOBB members to receive Service Commendation
Certificates and completed his speech.
- Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım
Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım also touched on the economic developments
of the last two years and said that while the big crisis scenarios were being
produced, the economy was revived with the decisions they made.
Noting that the Credit Guarantee Fund (KGF) provided support for credit
expansion and production immediately, Yıldırım emphasized that it had closed
the year with a record growth rate of 7.4%.
Emphasizing that this growth rate is number one in the world and the G20,
Yıldırım said that crisis scenarios were being produced in 2018 and that attempts
to deceive perception of Turkey were without end.
- “Turkey continues to grow,
produce and increase prosperity”
Reporting that even the employment generated by the EU countries in 10
years lags behind Turkey’s, Yıldırım said, “Turkey continues to grow, produce
and increase prosperity.”
Yıldırım stated that the minimum wage support given to the employers
last year is still going on this year and that they have made important steps
to improve the investment environment and that they are formulating additional regulations.
Yıldırım stated that they have taken important steps to encourage
exports and that exports continue to increase. He expressed that they have
signed a very comprehensive amnesties with every part of the society.
Yıldırım pointed out that they have complete work on many amnesties
including property, stock and fines.
Yıldırım stated that thy took measures to overcome the recession that
lived in a certain segment of the housing sector and said, “We launched a
campaign, we had discounts on VAT, discounted title deeds, and came together in
the banks with for the monthly interest rate of 0.98.”
- Customs and Commerce Minister
Bülent Tüfenkci
Customs and Commerce Minister Bulent Tüfenkci in his speech, stated that
stability and confidence are necessary to compete on a global scale, “The
business community knows very well who can elevate Turkey through virtue, will
and courage. Continue on the right path together for a stronger Turkey.”
Tüfenkçi stated that the presidential system, the most important
structural reforms agreed to on April 16th, 2017 by the nation will
enter into effect with the June 24th elections.
Following the speeches, members received their service commendations for
their 10th, 20th and 30th years of working at TOBB.