30.01.2019 Brussels / Belgium
European Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (EUROCHAMBRES) Extraordinary Meeting of Members, was hosted by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of (TOBB) President and EUROCHAMBRES Vice President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu at the TOBB Brussels office.
Hisarcıklıoğlu,
in his assessment at the meeting held closed to the press attended by 70
businessmen from Europe's 30 countries, stated that Europeans are very reserved
due to the upcoming European Parliament (EP) elections in May and said, “EU
relations with Turkey, especially visa issues, Customs Union agreement modernization.
We hope that these will be more prominent on the agenda after May.”
Reporting
a positive turnaround in perception of Turkey in the European business world, Hisarcıklıoğlu
said, “As we have seen, the negative outlook has dissipated. Now we have
entered the normalization process.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu,
stating that his European counterparts have requested information from him
about the latest situation in Turkey's economy, said, “They are interested to
know if there are opportunities. We’ve said that this wheel will roll over the
bump in the road, as we say in Turkey. Turkey will accelerate more; our economy
will continue to grow. There are great opportunities in Turkey. Come;
definitely invest in Turkey.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu
stated that they have organized intensive meetings in Brussels and a
EUROCHAMBRES meeting and said, “TOBB has achieved a first in its history. We
were elected to represent the Turkish business community as vice president in
2009. This was a first for EUROCHAMBRES as well as European institutions.”
Rifat
Hisarcıklıoğlu expressing their pleasure in hosting the EUROCHAMBRES
Extraordinary Members meeting at the TOBB Brussels Representative Office, said,
“Here, we discussed the future of the European business world. There are
elections in May. We discussed what the activities of the business world would
be in regards to the elections.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu
stated that Günther Oettinger, Member of the Budget of the European Commission,
also participated in the meeting, and stated that they are working together in
regards to the future of Europe.
- Göbeklitepe introduced
Hisarcıklıoğlu
stated that the Göbeklitepe promotional stand was established at the TOBB
building in Brussels and that they had the opportunity to introduce Göbeklitepe
to European businessmen and politicians. “They had not heard of Göbeklitepe. A
monument to humanity from circa 10,000 BC. Through beautiful photographs, they had
an opportunity to see it. Now they have begun to wonder.”
TOBB
Board Vice Chairmen Selçuk Öztürk and Ayhan Zeytinoğlu, Board Members Cengiz
Günay, Oğuzhan Sadıkoğlu, Ömer Zeydan, Hakan Ülken and Afyon Chamber of
Commerce and Industry Chairman Hüsnü Serteser also attended the meeting.
Hisarcıklıoğlu
met with TOBB ETU students engaged in internships at TOBB Representative Office
in Brussels after the meeting and visited Turkey's Permanent Representative to
the European Union Mehmet Kemal Bozay.