18.03.2024 Ankara
Attending the Ankara Chamber of Industry 60th Anniversary Award Ceremony, M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB), stated that the Ankara Chamber of Industry has always stood by the industrialists and has been their voice, and congratulated the industrialists who received awards.
Ankara Chamber of
Industry 60th Anniversary Award Ceremony was hosted by ASO President
Seyit Ardıç with the participation of TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu and Vice
President Cevdet Yılmaz.
TOBB President M. Rifat
Hisarcıklıoğlu started his speech at the award ceremony by saying “On the
occasion of the 109th anniversary of the Çanakkale Naval Victory,
which changed the course of history, I commemorate the Hero of the Dardanelles,
Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk; his comrades in arms, our heroic Mehmetçiks and
veterans with mercy, gratitude and respect”.
Stating that Ankara
Chamber of Industry is a source of pride with its deep-rooted and national
structure, Hisarcıklıoğlu said: “Our Chamber has always stood by our industrialists
and has been their voice. It has had a considerable impact on Ankara's industry
to achieve its current strength and on the growth of our industrialists. With a
modern, innovative and member-oriented working approach, it has carried its
historical responsibility in the best way possible. It has continuously
improved its institutional competence and effectiveness in a way to address the
Ankara industry properly.”
Stating that ASO keeps
the pulse of the economy in the best way, acts as an interpreter for its
members and steps in to solve problems and finalizes them, Hisarcıklıoğlu said:
“Today, the most powerful chambers in Europe provide the same standard of
service to their members, and ASO has become able to provide the same standard
of service to its members, even more and of higher quality. It has also
documented this as accredited. In addition to protecting the rights and
interests of its members, we are all witnesses to its beneficial services in
many fields from OIZ to vocational education and high technology. We are also
proud of the works it has brought to our Ankara and industry. I am proud of
your 60 years of experience and prestige, your continuously strengthened
corporate structure, the projects you have realized and the work you have brought
to our Ankara. I sincerely believe that our Ankara Chamber of Industry will
continue to serve Ankara and industrialists in line with this beautiful vision.
I am proud of my brother Seyit Ardıç, with whom I also worked together in the
TOBB administration, the Board of Directors, the Assembly, our general
secretary and all my working brothers and sisters. I congratulate them all
individually for their labor and efforts. I offer my respect and gratitude to
all our members who have brought our chamber from its establishment to today,
who have served and worked here, and I remember with mercy those who have
passed away. I sincerely congratulate all my brothers and sisters who will
receive awards.”
- Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz
Deputy President Cevdet
Yılmaz said, “We do not expect a significant decline in annual inflation until
May.”
In his speech at the
ceremony organized for the 60th anniversary of the Ankara Chamber of
Industry (ASO), Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said, “While global growth remains
weak, geopolitical risks increase price volatility and risks. However, we see
that headline inflation has started to decline worldwide, while core inflation
is still relatively high. Leading Central Banks continue to implement tight
monetary policy to reduce inflation. While the manufacturing industry is
relatively weak, especially in advanced economies, we see that the services
sector has recently been recovering, albeit slightly. In such a global climate,
since last year, we have been implementing policies that reduce uncertainty in
our economy and enable all sectors to see the way ahead more clearly.
Uncertainty is the enemy of the economy. The more you reduce uncertainty and
increase predictability, the more you strengthen the economy.”
Emphasizing that policy
uncertainties have been eliminated with the Medium Term Program and Development
Plan, which were prepared in consultation with businessmen, workers, employers
and all related parties after the presidential election, Yılmaz said, “We
shared a very detailed road map with our society on both monetary policy,
fiscal policy and structural reforms. Our President personally shared the
Medium Term Program. Therefore, we are implementing our policies in an
environment where political and policy uncertainties are minimized and
predictability is ensured. As you know, this has three pillars: monetary
policy, fiscal policy and structural reforms. We are implementing all three
pillars with a strong team and in coordination with each other.”
- We are working to fight inflation
Yılmaz said that they
are working to ensure fiscal discipline in the fight against inflation, to
stabilize growth, to reduce the current account deficit and to strengthen
reserves, adding, “We are making efforts in all these areas simultaneously.
While the world economy grew around 3 percent last year in 2023, we achieved
4.5 percent growth as the Turkish economy. As you know, the world economy is
below its historical averages, the average of the last 20 years has been around
3.6 percent, and the world growth was around 3 percent last year. Therefore,
world trade and economy are below historical averages. Our growth rate for the
last 20 years, our average annual growth rate is 5.4. Our growth rate was 4.5
percent, slightly below our historical average. But when we compare it with the
world, we have realized a growth rate one and a half points higher than the
world. We have closed the year 2023 with a growth rate slightly higher than the
growth we envisaged in the Medium Term Program.”
- Full support from ASO for economic policies
In his speech, ASO
President Seyit Ardıç said that the story of the Chamber started in 1963 in a
small apartment of a business house in Ulus. Noting that they have witnessed
many difficulties since then, Ardıç said that the principles and values have
not changed despite all that has happened.
Emphasizing that they
did not compromise on their production principles, Ardıç said: “We did not give
up our mission of contributing to the development of not only Ankara but also
Türkiye. That is why today, we have reached nearly 10 thousand members with 13
organized industrial zones, 149 R&D centers, 36 design centers, 13
technology development zones, 40 professional groups. Today, Ankara has become
one of Türkiye's largest in production. Our capital city has reached exports of
more than 12 billion dollars and employment of more than 1 million.
Approximately 10 percent of the world's 250 largest contractors are in Ankara.”
Stating that Ankara,
with its human, social, economic and intellectual capital, also pioneers the
production of high-tech products and services in Türkiye, Ardıç said that they
have started working to realize a production-based technology base in order to
make Ankara the capital of industry and technology.