Leaders meet to set up better ties
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Anatolian Agency
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Haziran 03, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Foreign trade ministers and representatives of various countries are meeting with their counterparts in Istanbul. The Turkey-World Trade Bridge Conference 2009 aims to share the advantages of Turkey and its high production capacity and trade potential with participating businesspeople.
Istanbul welcomed representatives of nearly 2,300 international and 3,300 Turkish companies to participate in the Turkey-World Trade Bridge Conference 2009, which will last until June 7. Participants also include 50 trade ministers from around the world. Â
The event, organized by the Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey, or TUSKON, and the Turkish Exporters Assembly, or TÄ°M, aims to provide a platform for the real sectors of different countries to present themselves to the world business community.
TUSKON organized the event, hoping to share the advantages of Turkey and its high production capacity and trade potential with participating businesspeople. State Minister Zafer Çağlayan participated in the opening of the product-presentation booths. The participants also included representatives of various countries who attended Monday’s Istanbul Trade Ministers Summit, as well as TUSKON Chairman Rızanur Meral and TİM Chairman Mehmet Büyükekşi.
With the official committee, 2,300 foreign businesspeople from 135 countries have arrived in Turkey, Çağlayan said on Monday, as the summit drew participation from 40 foreign ministers and top-level executives.
High interest
"Why are so many deputy prime ministers, ministers and businesspeople are gathering in Turkey when hundreds of exhibitions are being cancelled worldwide? This says something about Turkey," Çağlayan said. "Booths were booked a month ago because everyone today is looking for a solution and a way outÉ All countries need cooperation and coordination more than ever to create opportunities [that will lead] out of the crisis."
Companies operating in various industries, from food to textiles, cleaning products to metal, are displaying their products at 400 booths as part of the conference. If there is a global crisis, there is also a global solution, Çağlayan said, urging participants to pave the way for the private sector and noting that 12 percent of the world’s foreign trade would be represented at the conference.
"These countries, which implement 9.5 percent of the world’s exports and 13.5 percent of imports, and control $4 trillion worth of trade, will seek ways to overcome the crisis," he said. "This summit is the most purposeful indicator of public-private cooperation." Any cooperation project proposed to develop economic relations between countries would contribute significantly to overcoming the crisis, Çağlayan said, adding, "We should do our best to minimize the obstacles to trade and investment, ease trade and provide financing among counties."
Urgent action
Requesting that the ministers take action as soon as possible, he said that the various ministries "should discuss our countries’ potentials, export products and needs, and prepare all deals necessary to pave the way for the private sector to assess these potentials."
Despite all the negative developments in the world economy, Turkey will not change its target of having $500 billion of exports by 2023, the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic, Çağlayan said, adding that the country would try to reach its target even before that date.
The summit could also be called a "World Peace Minister Summit," said Büyükekşi, who noted: "Trade grows when there is peace. When wars dominate the world, global trade is interrupted. Therefore, world peace and world trade are two concepts that complement each other."
Particularly in recent years, Turkey has taken significant steps in globalization, Büyükekşi said, adding that the country is among the rising stars of the future in terms of its economy, and that it has a vision of becoming a leader both in the regional and the global sense. "In terms of both bilateral foreign-trade relations as well as investment relations, Turkey has great potential" and has become a desirable partner in foreign trade, he said.
The event, organized by the Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey, or TUSKON, and the Turkish Exporters Assembly, or TÄ°M, aims to provide a platform for the real sectors of different countries to present themselves to the world business community.
TUSKON organized the event, hoping to share the advantages of Turkey and its high production capacity and trade potential with participating businesspeople. State Minister Zafer Çağlayan participated in the opening of the product-presentation booths. The participants also included representatives of various countries who attended Monday’s Istanbul Trade Ministers Summit, as well as TUSKON Chairman Rızanur Meral and TİM Chairman Mehmet Büyükekşi.
With the official committee, 2,300 foreign businesspeople from 135 countries have arrived in Turkey, Çağlayan said on Monday, as the summit drew participation from 40 foreign ministers and top-level executives.
High interest
"Why are so many deputy prime ministers, ministers and businesspeople are gathering in Turkey when hundreds of exhibitions are being cancelled worldwide? This says something about Turkey," Çağlayan said. "Booths were booked a month ago because everyone today is looking for a solution and a way outÉ All countries need cooperation and coordination more than ever to create opportunities [that will lead] out of the crisis."
Companies operating in various industries, from food to textiles, cleaning products to metal, are displaying their products at 400 booths as part of the conference. If there is a global crisis, there is also a global solution, Çağlayan said, urging participants to pave the way for the private sector and noting that 12 percent of the world’s foreign trade would be represented at the conference.
"These countries, which implement 9.5 percent of the world’s exports and 13.5 percent of imports, and control $4 trillion worth of trade, will seek ways to overcome the crisis," he said. "This summit is the most purposeful indicator of public-private cooperation." Any cooperation project proposed to develop economic relations between countries would contribute significantly to overcoming the crisis, Çağlayan said, adding, "We should do our best to minimize the obstacles to trade and investment, ease trade and provide financing among counties."
Urgent action
Requesting that the ministers take action as soon as possible, he said that the various ministries "should discuss our countries’ potentials, export products and needs, and prepare all deals necessary to pave the way for the private sector to assess these potentials."
Despite all the negative developments in the world economy, Turkey will not change its target of having $500 billion of exports by 2023, the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic, Çağlayan said, adding that the country would try to reach its target even before that date.
The summit could also be called a "World Peace Minister Summit," said Büyükekşi, who noted: "Trade grows when there is peace. When wars dominate the world, global trade is interrupted. Therefore, world peace and world trade are two concepts that complement each other."
Particularly in recent years, Turkey has taken significant steps in globalization, Büyükekşi said, adding that the country is among the rising stars of the future in terms of its economy, and that it has a vision of becoming a leader both in the regional and the global sense. "In terms of both bilateral foreign-trade relations as well as investment relations, Turkey has great potential" and has become a desirable partner in foreign trade, he said.