21.11.2019 İstanbul
Speaking at the Turkey-Kyrgyzstan Business Forum, the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and the Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that there should be no barriers to trade between the two sister countries; stressing that they want to increase the volume of bilateral trade as the business community.
Turkey-Kyrgyzstan
Business Forum was held at the Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus Hotel with the
participations of TOBB and Turkic CCI President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Vice
President Fuat Oktay, Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Kubatbek Boronov,
Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) President Nail Olpak and Turkey
Exporters Council (TIM) President İsmail Gülle.
Following
the opening speeches at the Business Forum held on the occasion of the 9th
Joint Economic Commission Meeting of the Turkey - Kyrgyz Republic,
presentations on cooperation opportunities and bilateral business meetings
between Turkish and Kyrgyz businessmen was carried out.
Hisarcıklıoğlu,
in his speech at the opening of the business forum, said that entrepreneurship
must be encouraged and supported in order to become a stronger and more competitive
economy. Underlining the need to facilitate trade, Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out
that Turkey, which had exports of $3 billion 40 years ago, is now an industrial
giant between China and Italy. Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they are ready to
share their knowledge and experience with their brothers from Kyrgyzstan.
- The unity of Turkic business
worlds
Speaking
as the Presidents of both the umbrella organization of the Turkish business
world, TOBB, as well as the Turkic CCI which bridges together the Turkic world
with an economic size of $1.1 trillion, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Kyrgyzstan is
also a founding member of the Turkic CCI, which was established with the vision
of 6 states of a single great nation. Together with Kyrgyzstan and Turkey,
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan have united their business
communities. Our ties with Kyrgyzstan, which we have infused with the mortar of
our common culture, will continue to make us inseparable friends in the future,
as it has in the past.”
- Vice President Fuat Oktay
Vice
President Fuat Oktay said in his speech, “Our trade with Kyrgyzstan was $424
million in 2018. In the first 9 months of 2019, our trade has reached $326
million.”
Noting
that Turkey and Kyrgyzstan are two states intertwined with their history, joys
and sorrows, Oktay said Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Ceenbekov’s visit to Turkey last April was an important milestone
between the two countries.
Looking
at recent developments in the global economy, the growth rates of the world
economy has led to a downward revision and the expansion of protectionist
economic policies, Oktay said, “Turkey remains a safe haven for investors and presents
business people with investment opportunities. Growth rates, on the contrary,
are revised upwards. The captain's skill becomes evident on rough seas. We also
want to take our bilateral trade relations to a higher level in this volatile
time in the world, with the power we derive from our economy and common values.
We are also committed to this.”
- First Deputy Prime Minister of
Kyrgyzstan Kubatbek Boronov
Kyrgyzstan
First Deputy Prime MinisterKubatbek Boronov said, “The offers conveyed to us by
Turkish businesspeople seem to be beneficial for us as well. This will also be
useful in the work we undertake in the future.”
Boronov
participated in the “Turkish-Kyrgyz Business Forum,” which was held in
collaboration with TOBB, TIM and DEIK, and said that today, Kyrgyzstan and
Turkey's political cooperation is at the highest level.
Boronov
stated that Turkey is not only the most important trading partner of
Kyrgyzstan, but also a sister country and a strategic partner, and that after
the President of Kyrgyzstan visited Turkey at the beginning of 2018, President
Erdoğan of the Republic of Turkey made an official business visit to
Kyrgyzstan. A special relationship has been established between Kyrgyzstan and
Turkey on the basis of trust. Turkish-Kyrgyz trade and economic relations are
developing rapidly. Turkey is one of the top priorities for Kyrgyzstan.”
- TIM President Gülle
The
Turkish Exporters' Council (TIM) President İsmail Gülle, said he sincerely
believes that bilateral trade with Kyrgyzstan, a friend and sister country,
will have critical results, especially with the ecosystem created today
regarding the future of bilateral relations. Gülle pointed out that although
China, Russia and the countries of the region have commercial density in
Kyrgyzstan due to being a member of the Eurasian Economic Community, Turkey
ranks fourth in Kyrgyzstan's imports.
- DEIK President Olpak
The
Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) President Nail Olpak, noted that Turkey
was the first country to recognize the independence of the Republic of
Kyrgyzstan in 1991, adding that the establishment of DEİK Turkey-Kyrgyzstan Business
Council was also important in the same year. Olpak said that the business world
complains about bureaucracy in general, “Freight is one of the issues expressed
by our companies because of the high cost. We hope affirmative action for Turkish
companies in infrastructure projects to be implemented within the framework of Kyrgyzstan's
Strategic Investment Plan.”
- Cooperation agreements signed
7
Memorandums of Understanding were signed between private sector firms and
institutions at the Private Sector Agreement Signing Ceremony held at the end
of the Business Forum. The agreements signed are as follows: Memorandum of
Understanding on cooperation between the Kyrgyz Republic Investment Incentive
and Protection Agency and Mir Technology Holding Inc.; Memorandum of
Understanding on cooperation between The Kyrgyz Republic Investment Incentive
and Protection Agency and Çiftay Construction Contracting and Trade Inc.; Memorandum
of Understanding on cooperation between the Union of Chambers and Commodity
Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and the Investment Promotion and Protection Agency
of the Kyrgyz Republic;Memorandum of Understanding on
cooperation between the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey
(TOBB) and the Association of Small-Scale Hydroelectric Power Plants; Memorandum
of Understanding on cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of
the Organization of Economic Cooperation and the Investment Promotion and
Protection Agency of the Kyrgyz Republic;Memorandum of
Understanding on cooperation between the Istanbul Arbitration Center and the
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic /International Court of
Arbitration and the Istanbul Arbitration Center; Memorandum of Understanding on
cooperation between “Eurasian Business Club of the Kyrgyz Republic” and the
Foreign Economic Relations Board / Public-Private Partnership Committee.