27.11.2022 İstanbul
The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu attended the 45th Japanese Cooperation Forum Anniversary Ceremony held in İstanbul.
Hisarcıklıoğlu also
held bilateral meetings at the Forum, conveying to Japanese businesspeople his
views on the Turkish economy, regional/global risks and opportunities, joint
investments in third countries and developing Türkiye-Japan economic relations.
Hisarcıklıoğlu, who
gave information about the structure and activities of TOBB in his speech,
underlined that the Turkish business world attaches great importance to Japan
relations. Stating that they want to further develop trade relations with
Japan, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “More than 250 Japanese companies operate in
Türkiye. Some of them are among Türkiye's largest exporters. This situation
makes us happy, but we want to see more Japanese investors in our country. Japan
is one of the countries with the highest direct investment in the world.
Despite the pandemic, it made foreign direct investments amounting to $ 147
billion last year alone. The Japanese FDI in Türkiye is only 230 million
dollars, that is, it has a share of around 1.5 per thousand. When we consider
these figures, we think that Japanese investments in our country should be
higher.”
TOBB President M. Rifat
Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that the potential for cooperation in the fields of
energy, food, agriculture, advanced technology, defense and space industry is
great, and mentioned that the energy field is a very favorable field for
cooperation. Stating that both technology exchange and infrastructure offer
good opportunities in terms of facilities, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Türkiye's
exports to Japan are not at the desired level.
For this reason, we attach great importance to the Türkiye-Japan
Economic Partnership Agreement. We want the negotiations to be completed as soon
as possible. The opening that Japan will provide in the sectors that are
important for our country in terms of market entry in the trade of goods is
very important. We expect support from the Japanese government at this point.
We also believe that a new page will be opened in Türkiye-Japan relations with
an FTA.”
- Achievements in the field of contracting
In his speech,
Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “There is also a great potential for cooperation between
Türkiye and Japan in the field of contracting. 42 of the world's top 250
contracting companies are Turkish. After China, we are the country with the
most companies in this list. In the first 9 months of this year, we undertook 9
billion dollars of projects abroad. Thanks to our entrepreneurial power, we
boldly take part and invest in every geography. We can easily work even in the
most problematic places like Afghanistan and Iraq.
The entrepreneurial
spirit and local market knowledge of Turkish companies, combined with the
financing opportunities and technology of Japanese companies, create a strong
synergy. Today, Turkish and Japanese contracting companies are carrying out
successful joint projects in third countries. The increased convergence in this
area will also offer new opportunities for cooperation for other sectors.
Central Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries are also important
cooperation markets for Turkish and Japanese companies. We think that we can
jointly undertake new projects in these regions.
The Turkish economy has
shown strong growth despite concerns about the pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian
war and a global recession. Our economy has been growing continuously for 12
years. This year, a growth rate of 7 percent was achieved in the first 6
months. In parallel with the increase in industrial production, our exports
exceeded 250 billion dollars for the first time in our history. Türkiye has
become the 6th country that has increased its exports the most among
the top 30 major exporting countries on a global scale. The other 5 countries
are energy and commodity exporters. Therefore, Türkiye's entry into this
ranking with industry-oriented products is a separate success. Again,
pre-pandemic levels have been achieved in tourism. It has become the 6th
largest destination in the world. It is predicted that we will close 2022 with
45 million visitors and 35 billion dollars of tourism revenue.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu, who
also mentioned the problems experienced in the economy, also gave information
about the measures taken in this regard.
- Joint investment opportunities
Hisarcıklıoğlu said:
“Japanese companies investing in Türkiye have always received positive results
so far. Currently, there are many joint investment opportunities, especially in
export-oriented industrial investments. Türkiye has established the largest
industrial production capacity between Italy and China. It is an
entrepreneurial country that exports the largest industrial products. Türkiye
has become the main supplier of Europe in many sectors, especially in
automotive, white goods and ready-to-wear. Currently, apart from Europe itself,
Türkiye is the country where the EU imports the most automobiles. We are also
the first in Europe in agricultural production. Our country offers extremely
attractive opportunities for investments and investors. The number of
international companies is now over 75,000, up from 6,000 in 2002.In addition to the customs union with the EU,
our free trade agreements with many countries reach a population of about 1
billion without customs duties and restrictions. In this context, Türkiye
offers a suitable investment destination not only for itself but also for
reaching the surrounding countries. Especially against the problems experienced
in global supply chains, there is a strong solution partnership opportunity.
Many international companies have started to build more capacity in Türkiye.
They are growing and modernizing their investments. They don't have to be
limited to production. 500 international companies have R&D centers in
Türkiye. They are also setting up design centers and purchasing facilities.They are also turning Türkiye into a regional
training and regional logistics center. As TOBB, we have always been in
cooperation with you. We will continue to strive to increase this cooperation.
In this context, we will happily take part in every project to increase mutual
investment and trade between the two countries.”