We Should Not Talk About Earthquake Only When It Happens
We have been talking about the “Istanbul Earthquake” for years. The content of the speeches is dominated by issues such as “the intensity of the earthquake”, “where the fault will break”, “the economic and social dimension of the destruction”. Unfortunately, we have not made any progress in preparing for the coming earthquake.
Last month, we experienced a small simulation of the “Expected Istanbul Earthquake”. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.2 and centered off the coast of Silivri, caused great anxiety in Istanbul and its surrounding provinces. I once again convey my get well wishes to all our citizens affected by the earthquake.
However, earthquake should not only be our topic when the earthquake is felt and experienced. Everyone should be aware of this reality in Istanbul and other regions of our country. As the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ICI), Türkiye's largest chamber of industry, we also criticize ourselves and say; “Unfortunately, Istanbul is not ready for the expected ‘Great Istanbul Earthquake’... And in the face of this reality, we do not have the luxury of ignoring the earthquake.” We see this as a great obeisance.
We can no longer play three monkeys on an issue like earthquake that threatens the future of our country. For this reason, as we have expressed on various occasions before, we believe that a sincere and healthy check-up should now be carried out for all industrial facilities in Istanbul. Today, the earthquakes that we experience frequently and that cause great suffering show us that we need a different approach to realize realistic solutions by addressing the earthquake reality of our country. Whether this will be done by a “Ministry of Earthquake” or an “Earthquake Science Board”, we must bring this issue to the agenda, and bring it to a concrete conclusion.
As ICI, we would like everyone to know that we are ready to do our part in this matter. When it comes to earthquakes, everyone should put aside their individual interests. We must follow this issue persistently without giving up.
The world is experiencing a great turmoil, a complete upheaval, which is very closely related to our production and trade life. The wars and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have now been joined by military tensions between India and Pakistan, to the point of war. On the other hand, the shock and uncertainty caused by the high tariffs announced by US President Trump on world trade continues. These important developments and processes are closely related to our country. The progress is very fast and shocking. Some opportunities and advantages await us as well as risks.
We held our April Assembly meeting on this important issue with the agenda of “Turkish Industry in the Shadow of Global Trade Tensions: Risks and Strategic Options”. The panel was held with experts in their fields and continued with the active participation of our Assembly Members. You can read the details of this horizon-opener meeting on the following pages.
On the first day of this month, we will celebrate the labor day of our employees, one of the most important stakeholders of our business life. In this age of great changes, we must attach more importance than ever to labor peace for the welfare of our society. With these feelings and thoughts, I congratulate all our employees on May 1, Labor and Solidarity Day and wish you a happy and healthy month.
Istanbul Chamber of Industry
Chairman of the Board of Directors