27.11.2019 İstanbul
Speaking at the 35th COMCEC (Standing Committee on Economic and Commercial Co-operation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation) meeting, the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) president and the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ICCIA) Vice President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stressed that the way to overcome the difficulties of the Islamic world is to come together and increase trade.
The
35th COMCEC meeting was held in Istanbul, hosted and chaired by Turkish
President and COMCEC Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. TOBB President and Vice
President of ICCIA M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Together there is grace and prosperity;
anguish in dissent. We have lost grace and prosperity because we are
separated.”
- Trade is the greatest source of
peace
While
Islamic countries should promote unity and solidarity, they waste their energy
and resources in quarrels between them, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that it is
necessary to strengthen the conversation and unite. Hisarcıklıoğlu explaining
that the most important way for this is through trade, “Trade is the biggest
source of peace. Traders don't promote conflicts, they don't look at each other
with ill will. Therefore, we must first remove trade barriers between our
countries and increase trade with each other. In this regard, we see progress
in the last period. The intra-trade rate among Islamic countries has reached 20%.
Of course, that's not enough. We still have a lot of work to do, and now we're
taking another important step. On the orders of our President, in cooperation
with TOBB and ICCIA, the Islamic Chamber Arbitration Center is starting
operations in Istanbul. The agreement on the center will be signed here in a
moment. In this way, the trade and investments between us will be made even
more attractive and increase.”
“We
must implement a preferential trade agreement (TIPS-OIC) between Islamic
countries. The work has reached the final stage. We've got to get this done
now. A similar problem is the issue of visas. People don’t trade and invest in countries
they have difficulty entering, but with the country they can easily reach. What
our faith says is that all Muslims are brothers. When we establish the
brotherhood between us, we win both in this world and in the afterlife.”
- Whoever feeds the world becomes a
world leader
Stating
that food is the agenda item this year, TOBB President and ICCIA Vice President
M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “A correct agenda item has been set. For whoever
feeds the world is the leading country in the world. Turkey offers very
important investment and export opportunities in this field. We are first in
Europe and seventh in the world in agricultural output. We have $70 billion of
plant and animal production, our agriculture and livestock sector produces $18
billion in exports, $13 billion imports. By investing in Turkey, you can turn
this potential into profit together.”
- President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
In
his speech, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged the entire Islamic world to
support Albania, primarily because of the earthquake.
President
Erdoğan stated that the Islamic world is faced with many threats ranging from terrorism,
internal conflicts, and sectarian violence to ignorance. Erdoğan said new threats
such as anti-Islamism and xenophobia, which are strengthened in the West, have
become increasingly difficult to live a life in accordance with their beliefs,
especially for those living in other countries as a minority.
Erdoğan
emphasized that drama, pain and fighting are mostly seen when looking at the
geography of Islam, said:
“It's
an enormous audience of 1.7 billion who are wasting their energy with
artificial agendas. Most of the blood spilled by the weapons sold by Western
arms dealers is Muslim blood. Muslims are the people slaughtered by proxy terrorist
organizations with Islam in their name. Unfortunately, there is nothing cheaper
in today's world than Muslim blood, Muslim life. Our 1 million Syrian brothers
who died under barrel bombs are just statistics in the eyes of some. The dramas
of starving children in Yemen, except for a few countries and organizations,
nobody cares. The cries of those children, who were brutally murdered while
playing ball on the Gaza coast, are not heard by any organization, including
the UN Security Council. From Somalia to Afghanistan, from Arakan to Turkestan
to Libya, everywhere we look, we encounter similar sufferings and similar
dramas.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, “This unjust system built by the victors of the
Second World War is not possible to continue the proclamation. The reorganization
of the international security architecture according to today's conditions has
not become a choice, but a necessity.”
President
Erdoğan stated that the fate of all humanity, including the Islamic world, is
left at the mercy of the five countries that are members of the United Nations
Security Council (UNSC), explaining that the Islamic world has no right to make
decisions and implement freely on its future.
- Secretary General of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation Yousef al-Useymin
Yusuf
al-Useymin, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),
also called for international meetings and cooperation to create a more
suitable environment to increase investments within the organization and to
provide better ground for commercial activities reported that you should work
to move to a better point.
Useymin
attended the 35th COMCEC Meeting Ministerial Session at the Istanbul
Convention Centre. He noted that bilateral trade between Islamic countries has
increased.
- Islamic Chamber Arbitration
Center agreement signed
At
the end of the meeting, the agreement for the beginning of operations for the Islamic
Chamber Arbitration Center in İstanbul which was established on the instructions
of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan began work, in cooperation with the TOBB and
ICCIA, was signed. TOBB President and ICCIA Vice President Hisarcıklıoğlu said
that the area for the Center will be expanded on the request of President
Erdoğan after his signature.