13.07.2023 Berlin / Germany
Representatives of the Turkish and German business world called for cooperation and solidarity at a panel discussion in Berlin on the issue of re-strengthening the business community in the earthquake-stricken region. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and German Chancellor Scholz supported the conference with a video message and TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu invited the European business world to supply the earthquake-stricken region.
Representatives of the
Turkish and German business worlds discussed the issue of re-strengthening
business life in the regions affected by the February 6 earthquake at the
“Turkish-German Conference: The Role of the European Private Sector in
Reinforcing Business Life in Earthquake Affected Regions” held in Berlin, the
capital of Germany. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and German Chancellor Olaf
Scholz also supported the meeting with video messages.
M. Rifat
Hisarcıklıoğlu, President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of
Türkiye (TOBB), Peter Adrian, President of the Association of German Chambers
of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), Rolf A. Königs, President of the
Turkish-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TD-IHK) and Pınar Ersoy,
President of the German-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Türkiye)
called for solidarity and cooperation in the face of the devastating earthquake
that struck southeastern Türkiye and parts of Syria on February 6, 2023.
Following the first meeting in Berlin, follow-up conferences are planned in
other centers.
- Hisarcıklıoğlu's call to the European business world
In his speech here,
TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said that the support of the European
business world will be very important for these projects while talking about
the projects to be done after the earthquake. Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “I invite
the European business world, especially Germany, to provide supplies from the
earthquake zone, because the people in the earthquake zone need to stand on
their own feet through production and trade rather than financial support. This
is the best support we can do for them. As TOBB, we will provide you with all
kinds of support in this process.”
Explaining that as
TOBB, they set up a crisis desk on the morning of the earthquake and provided
intensive support starting with the urgently needed ones, Hisarcıklıoğlu
underlined that they have provided nearly 5,000 trucks, 7 ships and 6 airplanes
full of aid so far. The President of TOBB also thanked the business
representatives of all countries, especially Germany, who stood by them in this
process.
Peter Adrian, President
of the DIHK, said: “As a business community, we too have an obligation to
support our Turkish partners so that they can help themselves on the ground.
Our goal must be to help companies in the affected areas to generate additional
orders and restart their business as soon as possible,” said TD-IHK President
Rolf A. Königs. Königs gave the message that the cooperation will continue. AHK
Türkiye President Pınar Ersoy said that almost every member of the AHK has donated
money and in-kind donations and added: “The German business world has also
stood by Türkiye since the first day of the disaster.”
- Video message of support from Erdoğan and Scholz
President Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also supported the meeting with video
messages. Pointing out that 14 million people were personally affected by the
earthquake, President Erdoğan said: “Our nation mobilized for the region. TOBB
took its place among the biggest actors of the relief and construction process.
We will remember with gratitude everyone who stood by us on this difficult
day.” Erdoğan thanked German Chancellor Scholz for being with them in this
process.
German Chancellor Olaf
Scholz, on the other hand, said that the devastation has also deeply affected
them and that a lot of aid has been delivered from Germany. Reminding that more
than 100 billion dollars of damage has been caused, Scholz stated that
reinvestments and reconstruction are required for this, and pointed out the
importance of working together with the local business world for the
reconstruction of the region.
- Topics discussed at the conference
Ahmet Başar Şen,
Ambassador of Türkiye to Germany, also made evaluations in the following
sessions of the conference. Discussed in the session titled “Economic
Perspective and Potential Cooperation in the Region” moderated by Ali Aslan
were Technical and mentoring support for trade in the region, (How to build a
bridge between technical and mentoring support needs and support and mentoring
providers?), Procurement from the earthquake zone - industrial and agricultural
products. (Raw material and intermediate goods procurement platform from
suppliers operating in the region). Mustafa Buluntu, President of Kahramanmaraş
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Çağlayan Dündar, Head of the Real Sector and
R&D Implementation Department of TOBB, Dr. Kirsten Scholl, Head of the
European Department of the Federal Ministry of Economy and Climate Action
(BMWK) and Ben Butters, CEO of Eurochambres participated as speakers in the
session.
Panels were held in the
afternoon part of the conference. The panel on “Green and energy efficient
reconstruction of infrastructure and housing” moderated by Thilo Cunz,
President of Building International, German Energy Agency, was attended by
Nükhet Demiren, Board Member of Türk Ytong and Board Member of AHK, Çağla
Düzbasan, Board Member of RailOne Ilgaz and Ilgaz Construction, and
representatives of Siemens Energy and the Presidency/Ministry Development
Agency.
The panel on “Education
and employment prospects for people in the region” was moderated by Dr. Thilo
Pahl, CEO of AHK Türkiye. Nihat Sorgeç, General Manager of Bildungswerk
Kreuzberg, Selçuk Özer, General Manager of SEL Versicherungsmakler, General
Assembly Member of IHK Heidenheim, Prof. Dr. Ferit Küçükay, Coordinator of the
Turkish German University (TDU), Ali Koban, General Manager of ISS Netzwerk
gGmbH and a representative of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK)
also took part in the panel.