On July 2, 2024, as part of his Ordu program, Mr. M. Rifat HİSARCIKLIOĞLU, the President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), visited our Commodity Exchange and held a consultation meeting with our members.
During the visit, attended by our members, board members, and staff, our Commodity Exchange Chairman, Mr. Ziver KAHRAMAN, said the following.
Dear;
The President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey
The President of the largest and sole legal umbrella organization of the Turkish private sector
The President of the World Chambers Federation
Vice President of the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Vice President of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Vice President of the Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry Confederation
President of the Union of Turkish Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Board Member of the International Chamber of Commerce
Chairman of the B20 Turkey Executive Board
Member of the G-20 Advisory Group of the International Chamber of Commerce
Chairman of the Turkish National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce
Board Member of the Balkan Chambers Union
Board Member of the Economic Cooperation Organization Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Board Member of the D-8 Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Co-Chairman of the Turkish-African Chambers
Co-Chairman of the Turkish-Arab Chambers
Chairman of the Ankara Forum for Economic Cooperation between Palestine, Israel, and Turkey
Chairman of the Istanbul Forum for Economic Cooperation between Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkey
Co-Chairman of the Turkey-EU Joint Consultative Committee
And, with many awards and honorary titles, as well as the position in the “National Organizations He Has Served,” our esteemed elder and president…
Rifat HİSARCIKLIOĞLU
I am pleased and honored to greet you once again with our traditional greeting every time you visit this institution.
Mr. President!
WELCOME TO YOUR HOME!
In the introduction, I wanted to express each of your titles and the organizations you have contributed to, so that the message “merit is subject to appreciation” is delivered in response to the allegations you are sometimes carelessly subjected to.
Our intention is clear.
As the President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, what you have contributed to our community and our country is the embodiment of the saying “the mirror of a person is their actions, not their words.”
In every project, every initiative, and every innovation in our country, the footprint of our community can be seen, and this situation deserves nothing but applause.
Mr. President!
Thanks to the “Accreditation System” you have architected, you are measuring what we are involved in and the value we create with the projects we undertake. Therefore, it would not be efficient to talk about these again and again, as “using time efficiently” is one of your most sensitive principles.
Mr. President!
As you know, we continue to carry out projects, organize programs focused on member satisfaction, support R&D and U&D activities related to our quotation items, create suitable environments, develop markets, and contribute to the social and cultural life of our city.
While working in this direction, we sometimes need your support to overcome the obstacles we encounter, and with your unwavering support, we are always and ever stronger.
The world and our country are going through an economic bottleneck. During this period, we are experiencing “difficulty accessing financing,” and the cost of what we can access is very high. Our expectation from you is to pressure financial institutions for low-cost financing methods, such as the “Breath Credit” applied in previous years.
As we define our vision, mission, and policies, we carefully guide our work by taking your stance and advice into consideration.
Once again, I say “WELCOME TO YOUR HOME” as I conclude my speech.
In his speech during the visit, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that he was aware of the problems faced by the business world and that he conveyed the requests made to him to the government.
He emphasized that there are challenges in the economy but that the goal is to reduce inflation to single digits, stating, “Once we reach single-digit inflation, both retirees, workers, and the business world will be able to see ahead. In high inflation, it is impossible to make any calculations. The biggest problem is this high inflation.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that they supported the steps the government had recently taken, saying, “As soon as possible, just like in 2006, 2007, and 2008, we want single-digit inflation. Because the solution to the business world’s finance and cost problems is single-digit inflation.”
He explained that in the past, bank managers used to create lines to offer loans, but now they are the ones waiting in line, saying, “Now, we are in line in front of the managers. In the past, they would come to us.”
Regarding Turkey’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) gray list, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “One of the important steps taken by Turkey was to get out of this gray list. Thank God we have also succeeded in this. It is very easy to enter, but very hard to exit. You can only get out if all the countries agree. This means that we took the right steps to get out of the gray list.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu also highlighted the importance of Ordu-Giresun Airport, saying, “I have contributed, even if a little, to the construction of this airport. We faced some difficulties, but thank God, Ordu and Giresun now have a shared airport.”
He also drew attention to the Samsun-Sarp Railway Project, saying, “This is very important. As long as these energetic people are in the Black Sea, you will build this railway. Already, the heads of chambers and exchanges from Samsun to Hopa are working together.”
