MÜSİAD 26TH TERM GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SPEECH BY MÜSİAD PRESIDENT MAHMUT ASMALI

İstanbul Congress Center, 11 September 2021

Mr. President,

Honourable Ministers,

Honourable Governors,

Honourable Members of Parliament,

Honourable Mayors,

Of our Political Parties,

Of our Civil Society Organizations,

The Presidents and Representatives,

Of our Business and Academic World,

The Presidents and Representatives of our Professional Organizations,

Esteemed MÜSİAD Members and Friends of MÜSİAD who have honoured us by coming from the Head Office, from the 81 provinces of our Türkiye and from all four corners of the world,

My Brothers and Sisters of Young MÜSİAD,

Our Distinguished Guests,

Esteemed Members of the Press,

Welcome to our 26th Ordinary General Assembly. You have honoured us.

Mr. President, Our Distinguished Guests,

As we leave our 31st year behind, our MÜSİAD has assumed a very important role in the economic and social development of our Türkiye and on its path to becoming a global player.

I extend my gratitude to all our Presidents,/ our Boards of Directors,/ our domestic and international branch administrations,/ all our members and our devoted staff who have laboured from its foundation to this day.

As a brother of yours who joined MÜSİAD in 2006 as a humble foot soldier,

who worked with 4 Presidents, who served on sector boards, on boards of directors

and in the office of deputy president, as a result of the consensus of all our branches and all our levels of management,

and with the approval of our General Assembly as well, we have taken over this banner, and God willing we shall together carry it further and higher.

Mr. President, Our Distinguished Guests,

MÜSİAD is a hearth, a school, a voluntary body, and its door is open to everyone who wishes to serve our country and our people.

When we became members here we joined as foot soldiers, and over time we strove wholeheartedly to fulfil every duty entrusted to us.

At times we took part in organizations; at times we served on boards.

And finally, as a result of the consultations that were held, we reached a consensus on forming a board of directors together with us.

Every duty I have taken on at MÜSİAD is an honour for me and for my family.

I promise you here in your presence that I will work with all my strength throughout this honourable and sacred duty of mine.

Within the framework of its founding philosophy, MÜSİAD has supported every endeavour that would contribute to the development of Türkiye and raise the welfare level of its people.

Through the labour of all its members, through the projects and activities it has carried out and the research reports it has published, it has sought to make great contributions to the administrations of our country in every period.

I extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the governments led by our esteemed President for working closely with the business world and for supporting and encouraging us.

Mr. President, Our Distinguished Guests,

MÜSİAD is a community of thought, of principle and of action.

MÜSİAD's priority is Türkiye,

MÜSİAD's priority is the Islamic world,

MÜSİAD's priority is the oppressed nations and the salvation of humanity.

In line with these priorities of ours, our enthusiasm, our determination and our resolve to carry

the banner we have taken up even further are complete.

Together with our elected administration and all our members,

we have worked and will continue to work day and night in order to leave behind lasting works for Türkiye and for all humanity.

We are aware of how great the responsibility we have assumed is.

We are certain that we will fulfil these responsibilities with the spirit and enthusiasm that has carried MÜSİAD to this day, and of that no one has any doubt…

All its founders, executives and members who have served under its roof have had a share in bringing MÜSİAD to this day.

For this very reason I thank once again everyone who has laboured, from our office attendants to our most senior executives.

I pray to Almighty God for mercy upon those who have passed on to the hereafter.

Mr. President, Our Distinguished Guests,

We are going through a period in which very important developments are taking place in Türkiye and in the World.

Extraordinary developments are unfolding all over the world in every field, from the economy to social life, from foreign policy to security.

Over the past 20 years Türkiye has, from the economy to social life, from transport to energy,

from foreign policy to national defence, made very great progress in many fields.

Very great services have been rendered in the national and spiritual sphere.

May God be pleased with everyone who has laboured, foremost our esteemed President.

While the COVID 19 Pandemic, the most important development of recent years,

has brought about great shock and turmoil throughout the world,

Türkiye is coming through this difficult process in a highly successful and prudent manner.

Praise be to God, with the rational investments and the great transformation it has achieved in the field of health over the past 20 years, Türkiye has become one of the countries that has managed this pandemic best in the world.

At a time when even the advanced economies were experiencing great difficulties, Türkiye succeeded in keeping the adverse effects of the pandemic on the economy limited.

It is achieving record increases in economic growth above all, and in exports and investments.

Just as with the successful process in the field of health, thanks to our geographical position, our strong infrastructure in logistics and the manufacturing industry and our qualified labour force,

we wholeheartedly believe that Türkiye will make a great leap forward in the coming period.

As MÜSİAD, with our 89 branches in 81 provinces at home,

and with more than 200 contact points in 95 countries abroad, with a total of more than 11,000 members and an economic size made up of approximately 60,000 companies, today as yesterday we will be the greatest supporter of and stakeholder in this leap forward.

Mr. President, Our Distinguished Guests,

Türkiye has existed in this geography with its 1000-year history, and by God's leave it will continue to exist forever.

For a strong Türkiye, a strong economy is essential.

A Türkiye that possesses a strong economy

will be the greatest pioneer of the rebuilding of a world in which right and law, justice and equality, peace and trust, prosperity and happiness prevail.

Heeding our elders who said, “Sow the seed; if it does not grow, let the soil be ashamed…”, we sowed seeds with Young MÜSİAD in order to raise the generations that will lead this world in the future…

Over the past 20 years these seeds have sprouted; “they put forth shoots, grew strong and have now

begun to stand upon their own trunks.”

God willing, this term will be the term in which we gather the fruits.

Along with this, with the strong support we will give to our MÜSİAD Women working group, God willing we will also bring to life many successful projects concerning the present and the future of our working and family life.

We will draw our strength from our past and focus on the present and the future.

By combining the experience of the past with the innovations of today, with God's help we will carry MÜSİAD and Türkiye to new horizons.

Mr. President,

We extend our gratitude to Your Excellency for sparing the time within your intense working schedule and honouring us by attending our general assembly.

I thank from the heart all our members who today at our General Assembly deemed me worthy of this honourable duty, my esteemed president Mr. Abdurrahman Kaan from whom I have taken over the office, all his colleagues on the board of directors, all our devoted staff who laboured in this organization, and all our esteemed members and guests who have honoured our programme with their presence from home and from abroad.

May God be pleased with you all.

May our path and our fortune be open.

May God be our helper and guide.

May God protect you..

I offer you my respects.