High-Quality Production-Focused Intensive Activities…

As the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ICI), we continuously create new projects and organize events and trainings for the digital transformation of our industry and for high-quality, value-added production focused on technology and exports. We also witness what is happening on the field together with our industrialists through delegation and Assembly visits. In this sense, we have left behind another month of very intensive and productive activities. First of all, I would like to mention our two Assembly visits, which received great interest from our industrialists.

The first one was to Ankara with a focus on the defense industry. Our defense industry has achieved such a success story that is now closely followed not only in our country but also worldwide. With this visit, we aimed to integrate our industrialists into the strong ecosystem that includes Havelsan, Aselsan, and TUSAŞ. Its success will increase both our production capabilities and our export power. We firmly believe that united we will achieve a stronger industrial structure and take our country even further at the international level. I believe that this visit was very productive as you can read in detail in the following pages.

Our second Assembly visit was to “Dear Azerbaijan,” which we refer to as “One Nation, Two States.” I believe that the bilateral meetings held in cooperation with the Azerbaijan Trade Representation and the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ASK), as well as our visits to the Sumgait Industrial Park and the ALAT Free Economic Zone with the intensive participation of our Assembly members, will create new opportunities for investment and trade between the two countries.

I cannot fail to emphasize that we were welcomed with the utmost warmth by our brothers during our visit to Azerbaijan. I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my gratitude to the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ali Asadov, and the Minister of Economy, Mr. Mikail Cabbarov, for hosting us with the sincerest feelings during our visits, as well as to our Ambassador to Baku, Mr. Birol Akgün, and the entire Azerbaijani business community who made us feel at home in our sister country.

Last month, at our Assembly meeting, we hosted Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, President of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), with whom we had been planning to meet for a long time and with whom we signed a very important protocol. In addition to his colleagues, we were honored to welcome Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik, Rector of Yıldız Technical University, Prof. Dr.
Osman Bülent Zülfikar, Rector of Istanbul University, Professor Dr. Mehmet Naci İnci, the Rector of Boğaziçi University, and Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Okur, the Rector of Marmara University to our Assembly. I believe that this “YÖK-ICI Cooperation Protocol” will be one of the most concrete applications of our goal of “employment-oriented transformation in the higher education system” and will set an example throughout Türkiye.

Another important event for us was related to the “Circular Economy,” which we have implemented through significant projects. We held the Circular Economy Forum under the theme “Overcoming Distances: Cooperation for the Circular Economy,” in partnership with UNDP and Team Finland and in collaboration with the Consulates General of the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark, and the Embassy of Norway. It was also the official regional event of the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) run by the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra.

This year, we celebrated the 102nd Anniversary of the founding of our Republic. Since its foundations were laid a century ago, our country has made significant strides in many areas. As a nation and a society, I wholeheartedly believe that we will celebrate many more years of our Republic's founding with the determination and resolve to look to the future with confidence, in the spirit of peace, friendship, and brotherhood. With this belief, I once again wish you all a happy Republic Day and hope you have a healthy and peaceful month.

 Erdal Bahçıvan
Istanbul Chamber of Industry
Chairman of the Board of Directors