22.01.2021 Ankara
The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu attended the 17th Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) chaired by Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. He attended the Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Giving the results of the 1st ACD Chambers of Commerce and Industry Conference held the previous day, Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that they decided to come together on thematic issues and said that they wanted e-commerce to become widespread in Asia.
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that five main
issues emerged at the ACD Chambers of Commerce and Industry Conference, “First,
we are cautiously optimistic about the recovery process after Covid-19. The
opinion emerged from yesterday's negotiations that public administration should
play an important supporting role in the recovery process.” Hisarcıklıoğlu said
that despite all the negative economic effects of Covid-19, it is thought that
the process of shifting the world's economic center of gravity to Asia will not
be disrupted, and that more intensive communication between countries is needed
to increase Asia's competitiveness.
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they decided to
meet among themselves again on thematic issues at the ACD Chambers of Commerce
and Industry Conference and said that they plan to create an informal mechanism
to ensure coordination and communication for this purpose. TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu
said: “As the first thematic issue, we are considering the spread of e-commerce
in Asia. Each country has distanced during the coronavirus pandemic on remote
trade, and now we believe that it is time to focus on inter-country trade
opportunities. We want to share experiences on a country-by-country basis and
evaluate cross-border potential. In addition, we are thinking of establishing a
workgroup to deal with the internationalization of SMEs through e-commerce.”
- Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said the
meeting showed that the Covid-19 pandemic could not be overcome without
creative policies and solidarity, adding that it also applies to the
construction of a more resilient economy and tourism sector.
Çavuşoğlu said in his opening remarks that
the meeting was originally planned to take place in Turkey, but that the
meeting could not take place physically due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Çavuşoğlu said he is attending the meeting
from Brussels, where he arrived for talks with the European Union (EU), NATO
and Belgian officials, adding that Turkey, Europe's easternmost state and
Asia's westernmost country, is a connection between the two continents, harboring
symbolic meaning.
Noting that Turkey has not broken from its
roots in Asia despite its deep integration with the West, Çavuşoğlu said, “We
are developing new strategies to best position ourselves for this period, which
is often described as the 'Asian Century'.”